Biting Back
by Candy.Heart.For.You
Summary: Literally beaten black and blue, Uchiha Sasuke is painfully dragged back to Konoha curtesy to none other than Sakura Haruno herself. Her Next Goal: Make Sasuke pay for what he did. Oh yeah, it was time to execute her revenge and bite back -- Sakura style.
1. The Sweet Welcome

**HEY GUYS. Revised! Just saying! Commence!**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO! [STILL]**

* * *

**~ChApTeR 1: ThE SwEeT WeLcOmE~**

* * *

_"Hey Ino-pig,"_

_Ino opened her big baby blue eyes, "What forehead-girl?"_

_"What do you think the perfect man is like?"_

_Her nose wrinkled, "Perfect man? Where'd you get that idea from?"_

_I grinned before turning my head back towards the sky, "Mummy says that a perfect man is like daddy."_

_Ino sniffed, a smile adorning her face, "Well I think that Sasuke's the perfect man."_

_"Really?" I closed my eyes, "What's so good about him?"_

_Ino shrugged, "Everything?"_

* * *

"Haruno! _Branch_!"

I ducked, feeling the leaves whack against some of my hair. Shit.

"Focus." Neji slowed to glare at me.

"Sorry," I muttered, "Got a bit distracted."

Why now? The memory I had pretty much forgotten.

The day after he… left… my mind was in turmoil. First, there was desperation for him to come back. Which _didn't_ work out well.

Next was the attempt to better myself so that I could personally drag his ass back. Which _was_ going well until I hit the second part of that plan.

The day I saw Naruto fully bandaged in hospital, there was a realisation that Sasuke, no, Uchiha, was not the person I had loved. He was _not_ the same person. I tried ignoring this fact.

But by the time he came flying at me with the chidori in his hand, there was nothing more achingly sorrowful than what had been there, but lost. And disgust for myself for holding onto false hope for so long.

From those days onwards, it was attempts of blocking and denying his presence from my life. All of this just resulted in frequent nightmares, frustration, regret, and whenever the image of Naruto's stay in hospital popped in my memory - guilt.

But now, I'd like to think that I've made heaps of progress. The thought of the Uchiha now makes me grin just a bit. But only because I'm envisioning kicking him in the balls and then shaving him bald. And maybe getting him a tan. I don't even know where I'm going with this. But the bottom-line is, I'm going to make him _suffer_.

Another tree branch managed to hit the Henge no Jutsu version of my hair. _AGAIN_. See, _this_ is why I don't grow my hair long anymore.

"Haruno!" Neji gritted his teeth, I could almost hear the grinding sound, and his bright orange hair looked so comical with his pearl eyes – which he had blatantly refused to disguise. Tan skin, bright orange hair, pearl white eyes, Neji definitely needs to consult someone on his fashion sense and colours. "Stay focused Haruno. This is Sand territory; we can't afford to lose a medic."

I nodded, my mind snapping back to the task at hand. Sand territory. Right. Tsunade had sent us to deliver a scroll to the Kazekage, the contents of the scroll was of course confidential, but for her to send a group of five, it must be important, deadly or both.

"Four ninjas." Kiba called, looking remotely like a civilian, "From the west, closing in rapidly."

Neji activated his Byakugan, the veins like spiders, crawling down the side of his face. Every time, I can't help but watch, fascinated by the delicate yet deadly way his eyes worked.

"No," he breathed, "It can't be."

"N-Neji." Hinata was stuttering again, a bad feeling washed over me. Hinata had gotten over her bad habit of stuttering years ago; of course, old habits die hard and always return to visit around Naruto.

Or something terrible.

Shino was also staring into the distance, his bugs undoubtedly also telling him what was going on. Which meant I was the only one left in the dark, and that pissed me off.

"Are they dangerous?" I asked simply, as it was the only thing I _could_ do.

Neji made no answer and neither did Hinata. They were both turning their heads as often as they could without splattering onto a tree, as if hoping that whatever was coming towards us would be changing course soon.

Kiba sniffed the air repeatedly, a confused look on his face, as if trying to place the scent. After a few more seconds, his eyes widened considerably before narrowing.

"So," I placed my hand on my kunai pouch, "Who is it?"

Kiba turned and gave me an intense stare, which I returned. What the hell did they think they were playing at? We were a team weren't we?

"Haruno, you are _not_ going to like this." He muttered,

"Is no one going to tell me what the hell is going on?" I demanded, everyone was apparently preoccupied by our famous little guest. I could only sense five well cloaked chakra signs heading our way.

But that was the thing. It wasn't fully concealed. Whoever was coming, _wanted us to know._

I gave up waiting for them to give an answer. Using a trickle of chakra to fuel my eyes, I felt the prickling sensation begin. There wasn't a lot of life in the desert, except for the one patch of lone forest about a hundred kilometres away. A group was moving there, but that was all I could see. I allowed some more chakra to seep in, the prickling sensation started to burn, reminding me to hurry it up before my eyes got permanently damaged. Then, I saw. The strain of my eyes was forgotten in the one moment I saw the figure. I immediately retracted my chakra, the world was back in its small state, making it seem so forlorn and lost. But that didn't matter. The others knew that I knew as well, tensed in case I got too hot-headed.

Another burning sensation arose in me.

I never used to get it when they said that an emotion 'bubbled' out of a person. Until now. If I was Naruto, I'm pretty sure I would've sprouted a few tails by now.

The word burned on the tip of my tongue, I felt old anger and resentment bubble out from the container it had been kept in. My eyes narrowed,

"_Uchiha._"

The rest exchanged nervous glances with one another; Neji rested a pale hand on my shoulder, assuring yet firm.

"Haruno, this mission comes first."

I looked back into the distance, momentarily torn between my loyalty to my village, and the desire to rip Uchiha to shreds.

Don't be stupid.

Right. I pulled my protector around my forehead, "Let's go."

Neji nodded appreciatively, "If we speed things up, we can make it to the village before dusk. They could be after this scroll." His eyes flickered towards me, but I took off first, sending small sparks of chakra to my feet.

"Shit! They're gaining on us!" Kiba shouted from behind, his exasperation was obvious. It made me wonder exactly how much stronger Sasuke was.

"We have to get closer to Sand," Neji replied, his front cool and calm, "That way, we could attract help if needed."

We sped up considerably, but the tension thickened. What seemed to be a reasonably hard mission was turning impossible, but I didn't mind. In fact, I was kind of hoping that they did catch up to us, so I would be able to finally give Sasuke a piece of my mind, or rather, a piece of my fist.

_Naruto_. A faint voice inside my head reminded me, almost painfully. Naruto was still bedridden after his little fight with Pein, it had drained a lot of chakra out of him.

* * *

_Naruto, this is the greatest request I will ever make of you._

* * *

"What's the distance between us and them?" I asked furiously, picking up speed,

"Ten kilometres now." Kiba cursed, "It's inhumane speed."

Since when did we know anything about Sasuke being human? No heart, no feelings, no sympathy, all revenge and hatred. There is no human left in that shell.

"Shino!" Neji barked, "Delay him."

A loud buzzing sound departed, but we knew that such a distraction would only buy us seconds at the most.

A loud explosion was heard, a little in a short distance away.

* * *

_Please bring Sasuke back._

* * *

The stupid question I had asked, years ago, while Sasuke's coldness was still fresh.

I had taken advantage Naruto's kindness and gave him a task which carried so much pressure and responsibility. He came back close to death, and what scares me the most is that he could have died. And it was all that bastard's fault. And mine.

I should've done it myself. And now. I'm going to. Because I am not the same person who asked the question.

"Shit!" Kiba yelled, "They're here!"

I swivelled around furiously, watching as Shino dodged the watery creature's attack. Neji blurred to move beside me.

I was finding it so hard to breathe. All these years. All those scenarios of what it would come to. And now he was here, the adrenaline roared at me to do something.

"I want the scroll."

Even after all these years, I would never be able to forget that voice. It was somewhat deeper than before, but the hardness and coldness still remained.

I turned around with a smirk, unable to stop the taunting and of course, wholly unprofessional retort on my lips, , "Come and get it then, bitch."

Physically, he was pretty much the same as when I had saw him last. A white open shirt tied by hideously purple string – seems like Neji isn't the only one who needed fashion help – plus his black pants. At first, I was expecting some sort of reaction, I mean come on! I was an old teammate wasn't I? But when no reaction came, I realised that my Henge was still in action. A fleeting moment of pride as I realised he hadn't seen through it.

Pride which turned to anger rather quickly as I realised that he hadn't even bothered with Sharingan. We were't good enough for that yet apparently.

Sasuke's eyes flickered, between me and Neji. I could hear the screams of the wild-haired girl with glasses as she fought Hinata, who seemed better off than the girl, thank Kami. Kiba and Shino were trying to pin down the water guy, who was freakishly sloshing around with his oversized sword. I turned my focus back to Sasuke. His eyes pinpointed on me, for a second, I was scared he would see through the disguise.

"Juugo."

The gentle looking blonde beside him moved, eyes never leaving Neji's.

"The girl, take care of it."

So I was an _it_ now?

The blonde gave me an apologetic look before stepping forward. No way. I owed this to Naruto, Konoha, and myself. I reached up to Neji and took the scroll. His white eyes narrowed dangerously at me and his hand stopped mine.

"Focus," he warned, "The mission takes priority."

I just couldn't keep my cool head anymore; I put on a front for so many years. I wanted to bring him home, to make Naruto happy. But most of all, I wanted to break him.

"He's right here." I closed my eyes tightly, trying to keep my calm, pushing against Neji's hand, "I can do this. Please let me."

His eyes bore into mine, before sighing and dropping his hand.

"The Hokage is going to _murder_ me," he muttered, "I'm trusting you on this one Haruno."

Then I knew. As soon as Neji said my name, I thought he had made a mistake. But, Neji rarely made rookie mistakes, it was one last attempt to protect me. The slight widening of Sasuke's eyes gave me my motive back, I reached into Neji's cloak and retrieved the scroll, holding it in my white fingers and slipping it into my own cloak. I allowed the jutsu to be released.

After a mere second, my jagged pink hair was back. Neji rested a hand on my shoulder, before darting off towards Juugo, who seemed to respond reluctantly.

"Sakura." His voice still remained calm, one hand casually on his katana, "Come here and give me the scroll."

I snorted, "Because I'm just _such_ a good little girl aren't I, Uchiha?"

His eyebrows rose at the mention of his last name.

I tapped my forehead protector, trying to not burst into gibberish as a result of years of pent up anger bursting out at once, "This is my dedication This is my loyalty." I whispered hoarsely, "I have support. But you…are you happy with who you have now?"

"I thought you said you would follow me wherever I went," he replied simply, "Five years ago. You didn't have that 'dedication'' to the village then."

I tensed inwardly, but kept my act, "Well. I was obviously out of my mind and deluded. But that's alright, cause you're just gonna find out now, just how much I've changed." I casually tapped a foot as his Sharingan bled into his eyes.

Satisfaction. Did you have that feeling that I was going to rip his head off without a thought? He managed to just avoid the fissure which split the earth beneath us. Drawing his katana out, the lightening crackled menacingly.

"I'm going to make you pay." I murmured, I knew he could hear me. I flung out five shruikens and quickly making seals for the Bunshin no Jutsu. He was surrounded by Sakura look-a-likes. I knew it wasn't the best strategy, as his Sharingan saw more than I ever could. His eyes remained fixed onto my face. I had to get rid of the Sharingan temporarily, meaning I had to get closer to him. But, how? Closing my eyes, I felt the answer wash over me.

I lunged with my clones towards him; he managed to swipe out all in one slice, and knocked me further north. I slammed into a nearby cliff and simultaneously inhaled a mouthful of sand.

Which is, by the way, not recommended as it was pretty gross.

I dropped like a stone, blood trickling out of the corner of my mouth. I lay still, and calmed down my chakra. The tapping footsteps indicated he was getting closer; no doubt he wanted the scroll which lay in the folds of my clothes. After what seems like forever, plus the added bonus of my heart beating enough blood for a summon animal, he loomed over me, knelt and turned me so my face was to the sky. I had to do this now.

I peeked through my eyelashes and let myself cry.

Dirty tactics are only used in desperate times; I tried to reason with my pride. Then, came the effect I was waiting for, as he was reaching over, I saw a second of hesitation in his eyes. One second was enough.

I shot my hands up and injected chakra into his mind, causing what I knew was a raging headache. I also let a trickle of chakra flow into his eyes, blocking the brain from sending out messages to activate the Sharingan. The black slowly dominated the red in his eyes, I smiled,

"What do you think Uchiha? Not bad for a weak girl eh?"

I hit him in the ribs, listening to the cracking sound as they broke under my fingertips. I watched him stand up wearily. He was mentally and physically strong, I'll give him that, but he was slowed, and in pain. I darted over and I did the most satisfying thing in my life; I landed a chakra-heavy fist right in his pretty face and watched as he flew into a perfect arc and landed with a dull thud. I would have sent him along further, but I knew that Naruto would want to see him in one piece before I … dismantled him. This time, I took my time walking over to him, knowing that he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon; his eyes were glazed over and flickered in and out of focus as I injected the sedative into him. The steely look was still there, as if he was coldly calculating what he would do to me when he awoke again, which unfortunately, would be in a cell with other deluded minds – that is, if he was lucky.

I smiled sweetly into his face, "It's time to bring you home Sasuke-_kun_."

* * *

**YAY, so ends my first chapter. So, please feel free to tell me whether it was good enough to continue, or I should give up my little writing fiasco immediately before I humiliate writers all over the world! ^o^**

**Looking forward to your reply!**

**~.~**

* * *

**REVISED: Hope that edits out some of the more awkward writing :) PROMISE TO UPDATE ON OTHER STUFFS SOON!**


	2. Meeting The Patient

****

HI HI again! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed – gave me a major ego boost – which I have no idea whether it's a good or bad thing but thanks again!

**Hmm, if anyone has any suggestions for the plot -- since the continuation of the story was somewhat unexpected -- please feel free to voice them. I'll take them into consideration xPP**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto – but I wish I did! TT^TT**

* * *

**~ChApTeR TwO: ThE FiRsT CoNfRoNTaTiOn~**

I watched as Sasuke's eyes finally closed, I knew it was no trick, it was some pretty strong sedative. I sighed, relieved that I had escaped with minimum scratches and cuts.

Crap, where were the others? I turn rapidly, trying to locate my teammates.

My gaze trailed to Shino, his bugs biting and draining the chakra out of the water guy, like he'd need to, the guy looked like he wouldn't be able to move for months.

Neji seemed slightly worse off; he had been forced to call off the Henge to save chakra. His long hair was matted with blood and there were various scraps and bruises on his body. But nothing seemed too serious or life-threatening. The blonde guy had obviously had a few of his chakra points cut off, and was being sedated. I felt a twinge of guilt for hurting what seemed like a gentle person, before I hurriedly swatted it away. Guilt? For the enemy? For Sasuke's teammate?? Maybe I had knocked my head harder than I thought.

Then, I felt like my heart had stopped beating, where was Hinata and Kiba?

"Sakura-chan!" A loud and obnoxious voice, which could _only _belong to Kiba, rang out. Relieved, I started in that direction; he was hoisting a drained Hinata on his shoulder, and dragging mercilessly the red hair girl, who had bruises everywhere, not that the way she was being transported helped in the least.

"Dear Kami," I breathed as he gently lay Hinata down in front of me, "What the hell happened?"

"This happened," he said, disgusted as he chucked the red haired girl up, letting her fall with a loud noise behind us, he didn't care to watch where she landed, "That thing is _crazy_. Starts _biting_ herself or something, oh Kami," he looked at the hand he had dragged her with; "Maybe she has rabies??"

I snorted, running a healing hand over Hinata's larger cuts, "Don't be silly, probably chakra storers. But her hair _does _need a fix-up."

"Does it matter?" Kiba asked, wide-eyed, he shook his head before mumbling, "Girls."

I sent one last current of chakra to check up on Hinata's body. Everything else seemed to be fine. She should be sleeping around now. I smiled in response to Kiba's worried face,

"She's alright Kiba, don't worry."

Three other chakras entered our range, I tiredly stood up, hand on my kunai pouch – just in case. Kiba groaned, "Not more, how many _are _there?"

Neji stood up, placing the blonde beside Sasuke before tilting his head up, veins still intact, "Sand." He said simply. I almost sagged with relief; I didn't think we could take on any more intruders in our state.

The sand under our feet swirled before twisting up and forming the KazeKage and his two siblings.

"KazeKage-sama," Neji murmured, bowing slightly before reaching into his cloak. I almost groaned aloud, he had _obviously _forgotten that the scroll was with _me_. I coughed loudly, before stepping forward and handing Neji the scroll. He delicately passed it on to Gaara.

"So," Temari sighed in disappointment, looking at the three bodies in a line and one slightly askew, "Looks like we came too late. Geez Kankuro, if you hadn't taken so damn long to get your _make-up _on, we might have arrived in time for some action!"

"You stubborn old hag! It's _face paint _damn it_!_" Kankuro yelled back, pointing an accusing finger, "Not make-up! Girls wear make-up! I wear _face-paint!_"

Kiba and I tried to stifle our laughter, watching the exchange between the two siblings. Neji raised an eyebrow while Shino seemed to have no response at all. Gaara was quietly looking over the contents of the scroll, after a while of listening to the two bicker, he snapped the scroll shut.

Soundlessly, he walked over to where the four unconscious missing nin lay, he stopped over Sasuke, eyes widening slightly,

"It's Uchiha." He said, sounding a little surprised, the two stopped bickering and strode over,

"Hey! What do ya know! It is Uchiha! Dude, what happened to his face?" Kankuro laughed, nudging Sasuke with his foot. Gaara's eyes turned to me,

"And I suppose you're responsible for…this?" He gestured to the bruised noise, black eye and broken cheekbone. I grinned in reply, feeling insanely happy. Kankuro looked at me, then at the Uchiha, and whistled lowly,

"I have a new found respect for you Haruno."

"Kankuro and Temari will escort you back to Konoha," Gaara said, the scroll sinking in the sand, undoubtedly being sent first class to his desk, "They have provisions and chakra-binding shackles." The sand coughed up another scroll, he handed it to Temari, "Make sure this scroll is delivered to Tsunade-san."

I watched as Kankuro happily bound the prisoners, none too gently too. I reached into my medical pouch and pulled out a vial,

"I think this may help a little," I said wickedly as Kankuro's eye brows rose a notch, "It drains physical energy as well."

Kankuro took the vial before tipping two drops down each persons throat, he glanced at me and tapped his head, "Haruno, I like the way you think."

Meeting Sasuke, beating up Sasuke, physically and mentally handicapping Sasuke. I sighed, today was _definitely _the best day of my life.

* * *

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!" A figure waved from the gate, the orange clearly standing out.

I glanced at Neji, he gave me a quick nod of consent and I darted off, hugging Naruto ferociously,

"Naruto, you aren't meant to be out of hospital yet!" I muttered, still holding on, "Tsunade-shishou will go crazy."

"Baa-chan?" He laughed, "She won't hurt the _future Hokage_."

I rolled my eyes before pulling back, my hands on his shoulders,

"Guess who I brought back." I grinned, gesturing to our little group. He looked at them confusedly,

"Temari and Kankuro?"

I shook my head, barely able to contain myself, Temari appeared by my side, grinning as she poked Naruto in the head,

"Dear Kami, you're clothes are blinding me," She laughed, Naruto humph-ed, and then, he caught sight of Sasuke.

Mixed emotions flew across his face, anger, sadness, relief, joy before he chose to stick to the surprised look. His eyes flickered back to me and my small smile, then to Sasuke.

"Is that – ?" He gaped, before stalking over to where the Uchiha stood. He had regained consciousness during the journey, but remained silent and stoic, Naruto grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up, a little savageness shown in the eyes,

"You bastard," he hollered, "How could you have joined the Akatsuki?!"

I watched as Naruto violently shook the Uchiha before pulling him into a brief hug, "You idiot, if you had a problem we could have solved it together. But now, we're all willing to help you get back to your feet, right Sakura-chan?"

I felt Sasuke's onyx eyes on me, and Naruto's. Our little party had gone eerily silent.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto stared at me, confused, "You want to help Sasuke don't you?"

_Not particularly. _I almost said, instead, I just turned, "Come on, Tsunade-shishou's waiting for us."

* * *

"I see," Tsunade sighed, looking over the scroll before flicking her eyes back to us, "You managed to catch Sasuke and his team?"

I nodded, averting my eyes.

* * *

"_Sakura," Tsunade warned, "You must never let your personal feelings get in the way of a mission."_

* * *

I hate to think that I had disappointed her.

"Where is Sasuke now baa-chan?"

"_Don't call me baa-chan you baka!_" Tsunade glared, "The council of Elders are questioning him. If he forsakes all the information he has obtained to them, then he will be released – under probation of course."

"That's great!" Naruto cheered, looking like he could run two hundred laps around Konoha.

"No! That's not fair!"

Hmm, that voice sounded ridiculously like mine. I felt all eyes turn to me. Oh crap. Did I just – ?

_**Yup. Congratulations. **_

"Care to explain your outburst Sakura?" Tsunade narrowed her eyes at me,

I swallowed, before leveling my eyes to meet hers. I knew Naruto was staring at me also, "He has betrayed the village, killed many people and then above all, he actually joined the _Akatsuki_. How can we let him go on a simple probation?" My hands gripped my leggings harder, bunching them in my fists, "It's unheard of! A dangerous criminal on the loose, this will destroy Konoha's reputation!"

"It is unexpected coming from a teammate of Sasuke's," Neji added slowly, "However, it does make sense. What will the other villages think of us to release an S-rank criminal, unwatched with a simple probation?"

Tsunade kneaded her temples, "Quiet! I know what I'm doing! Sasuke is the last Uchiha in the clan who is _alive._ He contains useful information which could give us leverage against the Akatsuki," she looked pointedly at me, "And he _will _give up the information, because Uchiha is in our hands now and a genius. It is information or death. He's smart enough to know which one will benefit him more." She turned to Neji, "He will be sufficiently punished as detainment from missions for six months is more than enough to drive someone like him crazy. And he will certainly _not _be unwatched. He will be placed in the care of one of my most trusted ninja's."

"Oh?" Naruto asked, slightly less enthusiastic, eyes on me, "Who might that be?"

Tsunade smiled at him, "None other than my dear apprentice of course."

Oh Kami, please let her mean Shizune, please, please, please –

"Sakura, if you would do the honors."

Oh hell, _no_. But you don't refuse the Hokage, _ever_, unless you've got a death wish. I groaned inwardly.

"I'll give you a few hours to get back to me, now all of you, scat. I've got paperwork to finish."

I was the last to reach the door, trying to gather all my thoughts.

"Sakura." I froze, listening to Tsunade-shishou, "Remember that personal feelings must be discarded during missions. As you've retrieved a group of missing ninja's this time, I will let you off. But next time, the matter will be taken less lightly. Sakura," I turned, Tsunade's serious brown eyes bore into mine, "I trust you."

"Okay."

Oh Kami, that was a guilt trip right there!! Does that mean, that I just agreed to take on the task? Maybe if I jump off the Hokage Tower in protest, she'll call it off. Argh. This can't be happening! Where was the sweet justice in the world??

* * *

Naruto caught up with me after I left the Hokage's office.

"Sakura-chan. What's wrong? Why didn't you stick up for Teme?"

I was furious at that point, I shouldn't have done what I did, but I let loose all the stress that I had been feeling, "Oh yeah?" I snapped, "Give me one good reason why I should."

"Because he's your teammate!!" Naruto answered, looking aghast. It only made me feel angrier,

"What has he ever done to me as a teammate? Other than call me names and crush my heart? Not only that, he had the _nerve _to try sabotage us on our mission! He's _not my teammate_!"

I turned on my heel, and briskly stormed away, I could vaguely hear Naruto calling me, but I chose to ignore it.

* * *

Then, the next day, 6.00 AM, I found myself back at the hospital, returning to my duty. I grabbed my medic coat from the stands, before I heard someone calling my name.

"Sakura-san! Tsunade-sama has assigned you to Room 6152," A bustling nurse shoved a clipboard towards me, hurrying down the hall,

"How serious?" I yelled after her, disinfecting my hands in the process.

Major injuries including several broken bones and some internal injuries!" She shouted over her shoulder, not breaking a stride.

I paused for a while, trying to keep my eyes open, I had hardly gotten any sleep yesterday night. I sighed, the sound lost in nurses pushing around their patients. I paused outside of the door, making sure I had gotten the right room before pushing it open,

"Hi, I'm Dr. Haruno; I'll be tending to you this –"

Unfortunately, I had failed to notice the name on the clipboard.

* * *

**Special Case**

**Patient:** _Uchiha, Sasuke_

**Medic:** _Haruno, Sakura_

**Duration of Care:** _The remainder of the probation_

* * *

Dear Kami, why do you do such cruel things to me?

I gritted my teeth, whatever happens, I would _not _smile in front of him, ice cube Haruno. Cool, calm, focused. Be the ice cube.

I stared at the Uchiha, who was sitting on the bed upright, numerous bones jutting out of his skin and well as the bruise still fresh on his face.

"You went to the council like _that?_" I asked, completely destroying my resolution five seconds ago. He turned his head slightly; I saw that the purple bruise stretched all across his pale skin.

"Aa."

I scoffed, "Serves you right."

His head snaps back to me, eyes widening a little. I avoided his gaze and scan the clipboard: five fractured ribs, one broken cheekbone, nose, jaw, leg, and a split bone on his arm. Some internal injuries on his lungs and apparently, a constant migraine.

Bravo moi. I had to stop myself from smiling. Too bad, I had to reverse the effects of my masterpiece. Tsunade's punishment I suppose.

I hung the clipboard up and walked over to the bed, placing my hands on his bruised chest. I couldn't help but note in satisfaction how he squirmed a little, as if wanting to get away.

"Why are you here?" He demanded in a low tone. I smirked and none too gently rearranged his ribs back to how they were before. Numerous cracks were heard – music to my ears.

The pain was evident in his eyes, but he refused to wince, and gave me a stony look,

"The council deems you unfit to…run around without a leash. Nice to meet you, I'm your babysitter for the remainder of your sentence." I kept my tone monotonous, – maybe I could end up liking this job after all, and the look on his face was an added bonus.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes; I continued to heal him, being gentler and more efficient, after all, I had to start taking Tsunade's words to heart.

"Don't think I wanted this job either." I said abruptly, "But since I was required, I accepted."

I tapped his bruised cheek, watching his pained reaction, "Now that you're here, don't think that I'll let you hurt any more people."

"I thought you said you would make me pay." He smirked lightly, making me want to punch his lights out,

"What makes you think I'm not?" I raised an eyebrow – oh yeah, look cool Haruno, I tightened the bandage around his chest, tighter than I knew was necessary. In fact, if it was doing the impact I think it was, it should be _crushing _his newly healed ribs, his strained expression confirmed it, I leant in, "I wasn't too happy about the job at first. But now that we've met, I think I'm going to enjoy our time together _very _much."

I straightened, took the clipboard and left the room. Only until I was out of the door did I let myself bear a grin. His shocked face implanted him my memory, even if it _did _only last a second before his poker face came on.

Oh yeah, Haruno was back. And biting Uchiha in the ass.

* * *

**Second chapter done! Hope I didn't disappoint lol! xDD**

**Sighs, I won't be updating for another two days at the least, Sorry, I have to make up the exams I missed due to other exams as well as a dreaded French Speaking Test – School sucks doesn't it? Of course it does.**

**Looking forward to your reviews ^o^ !**

**~CaNdY~**

* * *


	3. The Requirement

**GOOD NEWS!!! EXAMS ARE OVER!!!**

**OTHER PIECE OF GOOD NEWS!!! I have found a plot! It's not perfect...yet, but I'm hoping you guys will like it -- I tried so hard not to make it cliche, but maybe I took the wrong direction? Only one way to find out -- KEEP READING (insert evil laughter here)**

**COMMENCE: CHAPTER THREE!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto TT^TT ... I own this cookie though xP**

* * *

**~ChApTeR 3: ThE ReQuIrEmEnTs~**

**

* * *

**

"I can't believe you're doing this Forehead!" Ino ranted, pacing up and down her room, "For one, you've gotten Sasuke back to the village – in a very warped form as well may I add, that's already enough to make the fan girls want to tear off your head, and now, you want to take revenge? Are you sure you want to do this?? A wanted poster with _your _face on it is going to be posted on every corner! Do you want that?"

I chuckled before lying back on Ino's ridiculously pink bed, "I don't care about the fan girls." I turned on my side, before looking Ino in the eye. She sighed, obviously giving up on what seemed like a lost cause, before leaning in towards me, and looking very serious.

"You know that as a best friend, I have the obligation to support you in whatever you do right?" She asked, fingers pinching her nose, "This _is _what you want to do?"

I nodded, she sighed before grinning.

"Fine, it's not like I'm _really _unwilling either," She admitted, before quickly backtracking, "Oh no, don't get thoughts Forehead. I'm _so _out of love with Uchiha, it's just, revenge is sweet huh?"

"So, how do you propose I should do it?" I asked slowly, twirling a lock around my finger. Ino gave me a smile; I knew I was treading on thin ice now. No doubt the next thing out of her mouth would be something completely elaborate and out of my reach.

"Sakura," she grinned, "What is it now that you have that you didn't have before?"

I stared at her before shrugging, eyeing her suspiciously, "Medical skills?"

She blew out of her nose, exasperated, "No you baka! You're feminine charm!"

I almost choked on my own spit, "_Feminine charm_?" I managed to splutter,

"Hell yeah," Ino tapped the side of her head – reminding me of Kankuro funnily enough, except I _certainly _wasn't liking the way she was thinking – "_Seduce him_. Then, break his heart!" She grinned, as if it was the most satisfying plan in the world.

Me? I was too busy trying not to gag, "I have _no feminine charm!_ Nor do I intend on getting any. And plus, this is _Uchiha _we're talking about, he has no heart remember? You can't earn a heart when there wasn't one to start with!"

Ino cackled, "You're too cruel Forehead. But it's true." She stretched, "I dunno then, that's the best thing so far. So, if you don't mind, I want to go to sleep now."

"Ino," I glanced at the clock, "It's eight-thirty."

"So?" She feigned her innocent look – a look I might have fallen for if I hadn't known her, "I'm tired."

I shrugged, and left through the window. But I didn't _really _leave at first. I stayed in a distant tree, masking my chakra. After all, it's always good to know what your best friends are up to. Just in case they're meeting, say, a stalker, that wouldn't be too good. Oh alright, I was partly in for it to use as ammo in future conversations which may need bribes or blackmails of sorts – not like she never does this to me.

Ino peeked through her window, but luckily not spotting me – she would literally go drown me in a lake if she caught me spying on her. Very quietly, she jumped down from her window and started strolling to the left. I noticed how she had put on her good skirt and a dab of make-up. She knocked on a door, which looked vaguely familiar, whose house was that again?

As the door opened, I was already gone.

_Very interesting._

* * *

"Hey Naruto-kun!" I smiled, as he opened his door, "Care for a little spar? Winner gets treated as much ramen as they want tonight!"

* * *

To be honest, I was slightly worried that Naruto was mad at me over Sasuke, but he seemed as bubbly and hyper as normal.

"Okay Sakura-chan," Naruto grinned, "I'll have you know, that missions have gone down lately, so froggie is kinda empty. I won't lose to you!"

He made the seals for a Bunshin no Jutsu, his trademark technique. Before I knew it, I was buried under a sea of orange. Taking a deep breath, I focused quite a bit of chakra towards my feet before stomping hard on the ground. A large wave rippled through the rough soil and I was thrown up along with most of the clones, quickly, I flicked my wrist, sending out shruikens. The bunshins disappeared in a poof of smoke, except for one, which I did a roundhouse kick on, smashing Naruto onto the side of a tree, or rather, _through _the trees.

"Not bad Sakura-chan," Naruto huffed, wiping his mouth as he picked himself up, "But what was with those weapons?"

"You don't train with Tenten without learning a few things," I replied, before creating my own Bunshins. The first one ran up to where Naruto was, aiming to do some damage with the kunai in her hand, but she was intercepted and stabbed in the stomach. The rest tried the Naruto move, pouncing on him, smothering him. I saw this as my opportunity before kicking off from the ground.

Soon enough, my bunshins were sent flying in all sorts of directions. I somersaulted forward, gathering momentum. When Naruto looked up, I made sure he had the perfect view of a fist, ready to be brought down.

The impact shook the entire training ground, a deep fissure opened up in the middle. Yet, I had missed; he had managed to get away at the last minute.

Damn it. I looked at the fissure; Tsunade is _not _going to be happy with this.

Where was Naruto? I closed my eyes and listened intently, a slight change in the wind told me he was coming up behind and fast. I instinctively put up a hand to block as I turned, barely managing to catch the ferocious punch.

_Remember your training with Lee_. I chided myself heatedly; those bone-breaking lessons shouldn't be for nothing! After Sasuke left, I made it a point to keep training to with Lee to keep up my taijutsu ability. He was insanely fast, and I had to be alert at all times if I wanted to get away with minimal injury.

Perhaps that was the reason Naruto's attacks seemed slightly slower than usual, but only by a margin. He punched straight forward aiming for the jaw; I deflected while bringing a leg up to catch him around the neck. But a one second delay, and I had missed him entirely, he had crouched, swiping a leg in a circle around the floor. I allowed the leg to knock me down, feeling his slight moment of surprise.

* * *

"_Always remember one thing Sakura. In a battle, hesitation is what a Haruno lives for."_

* * *

I grinned at the memory, otou-san had always given the most brilliant advice. Executing a flip to get into position, I grabbed his left leg and flipped him, his arms flailed out; trying to touch the ground to reposition himself, one Neji-like palm to his stomach sent him flying back, skidding painfully along the dirt. I didn't even see him get back up, a blur and he was gone, a heavy fist knocking into the back of my spine, I heard a few bones crack as the wind tore at my face. I felt a sickening crunch as my head made contact with the trees. Naruto was coming up fast, I could see it.

I sent waves of chakra, urging them to repair the damage. By the time I was done, Naruto was less than a kilometre away, I had to try the thing least expected. In this situation, what would be expected? Me, with my back to a tree and a charging ninja up ahead? The logical thing would be to dodge of course. But the _unexpected _thing would be a full frontal attack. I squirmed as if I couldn't get out of that position. He was fast approaching, _now!_

I ducked quickly, Naruto's fist passed through the top of my head with just an inch to spare, smashing the trunk to smithereens, I quickly gave him a chakra-loaded fist to the stomach, watching him fly back the way he came, just as rapidly.

As I got up, I winced, feeling how the splinters had pierced the back of my shirt, causing numerous blood spots to appear. I didn't notice as Naruto did a roundhouse kick to the side of my head causing the world to spin for a couple of minutes, before finally refocusing itself. Blood trickled out of the corner of my mouth. I lunged for him, sending a mild chakra wave into his head. For a few seconds, as he remained still, I kicked him off his feet, hoping he would stay down.

But he obviously didn't. His Kyuubi dispelled the headache I had placed in exactly thirty seconds, causing him to come charging back up towards me. I readjusted my stance. His fist came down and so did mine. Right on each others face.

_Déjà vu _– This was result was just like chuunin exams with Ino all over again.

I swaggered a little, my cheek feeling impossibly numb; I could barely open one eye. Naruto wasn't in a better state, staggering around like a drunken fool. We both collapsed on the ground, side by side, arms spread out.

"That was something," Naruto wheezed, blinking furiously.

My own vision was filled with pretty spots, "Yeah," I managed to choke out, wiping the side of my mouth. I took a glance at him. His entire cheek had swollen up, a bit of his hair had been ripped out during the fight and his orange jumpsuit was completely covered in mud. I started laughing, it just came up, and I couldn't help myself. Unfortunately, every second felt like someone was plunging a knife into my stomach – must have broken some ribs, but I continued all the same… It felt really good.

"You look so funny!!" I hooted, "You just got wasted by a _girl!_"

"Hey!" Naruto rasped, chuckling a bit, "I did _not _lose to a girl! _You _are treating me to ramen tonight!"

"With the amount you eat? I'm obviously in a _better _condition than you!" I coughed, "So, I think _I'm _the one getting treated."

Naruto painfully turned to one side, his face scrunching up as he scrutinized me, "The future Hokage cannot lose," he said proudly, "Why don't you ask Sasuke then? He's standing right there!"

I froze, itching to stand up and zoom away. Leaning on my good left arm, I turned my head to see the said Uchiha leaning against one of the few trees standing, arms folded, hair still resembling a chicken nest.

"Still trying to look cool huh," I murmured angrily, glaring daggers at him, "Stupid Uchiha."

"Oi! Teme!" Naruto hollered, gesturing wildly and enthusiastically, "Who won?"

Uchiha simply stared at us before turning and walking away. Naruto frowned slightly, face falling.

"Oh, that baka," He muttered, before sighing and lying back down. I watched the Uchiha walk away, the trees slowly swallowing him.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Huh?" I turned back to look at Naruto, who was staring at me, eyebrows knitted together.

"What's up with you and teme?" He asked, sincerely confused, "I don't get it! I thought you would be all over him! What happened?"

I exhaled through my nose before running a healing hand over Naruto's hair, restoring a patch of the yellow, "For a while I thought so too," I admitted, "But, things have changed. I can't be in love with someone who won't return it forever. Things are just…different."

Naruto grinned his 'Good guy grin' at me, "Well, whatever went on, I hope it'll get solved soon! I can't wait for the three of us to eat ramen at Ichiraku, just like old times!"

I could never understand how Naruto could forgive someone so easily, but I admired him for it. I lay on my back again, watching the clouds slowly roll on by, without a care in the world. I didn't have the heart to tell Naruto that that might never happen.

* * *

"So." Tsunade yawned, waving her hand, "The reason why I've called you the three of you here today is to discuss Sasuke's sentence."

"Neh?" Naruto asked, "Why am_ I_ here then?"

I felt myself sitting quite tense, Sasuke being too close for comfort on my right. Sure, it was about forty-five centimeters difference, but I would have prefered two metres or even better, ten _kilometers_. Anything was better than this.

"Because!" Tsunade gritted, "You're his teammate! Kakashi is of course, late as usual. You have a right to know about the punishment, which is to be three years long," She turned to look at him, "You will be watched over every minute of it."

His eyes were narrowed dangerously, but voiced no complaint.

"Aa." The sound was stoic, meaningless almost.

"You will be prevented from going on missions," Tsunade continued, "as well as clan meetings, the Uchiha compound will be barred off for the time being, you are not to enter. And, the Council has ordered you to have a tracking device implanted into your bloodstream; I myself will be responsible for that operation." She drew in a deep breath, before looking almost apologetically at Sasuke, "Uchiha, this is the lightest punishment we can give to you, when you left the village; you _knew _that the consequences of being caught were very severe."

Sasuke stared at her with his pitch-black eyes, unrevealing any secrets, "I knew," he answered, "Is there no way I can shorten my sentence?"

This was the most Uchiha had talked since he got back, which probably meant he was desperate to shake off his spies.

"I thought you might ask that," Tsunade smiled, a smile I knew _too _well. She was about to give an ultimatum, and knowing the Uchiha, there was no way he would refuse.

Naruto and I exchanged nervous glances before turning our attention back to Tsunade.

"There is no way for the sentence to be lifted completely," she stated, still looking at Sasuke very carefully, as if she would expect him to get up and try massacre us right now – an understandable thought, as my own fingers were twitching to reach into my weapons pouch. "But, we can shorten it considerably, to say, about one year?"

I felt my eyebrows collide into a V, what would the catch be? Naruto whistled lowly beside me.

"However, for us to be convinced enough to do that, you'll have to reprove your devotion to the village,"

I felt myself smirk and lean back, closing my eyes and listening.

"This will be done through the Jounin exam." She finished, my eyes flew open in shock, and Naruto spluttered uncontrollably, Sasuke's eyes had a flash of shock, before his stoic façade erased that.

Just as Tsunade was about to speak again, a puff of smoke announced the arrival of Kakashi, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

"Uh, sorry I was late," he said, cringing under Tsunade's glare, "I couldn't find my lucky boxers and –"

"Liar," Naruto muttered darkly,

"Just sit down Kakashi," I sighed at the same time.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Kakashi took the seat next to me, "What'd I miss?"

"Sasuke just got owned by the Council," I said out of the corner of my mouth, "Shishou's giving him a ultimatum – try out for Jounin ranks or be stalked for three years."

Kakashi sucked in, before rubbing his hands together as if it were some sort of movie.

Tsunade slammed her palm onto her desk, glaring at us all, "Anyway!" She barked, daring us to say another word, "Sasuke is technically still a genin, as he failed to pass the chuunin exam before he left. But the council is willing to let you jump the levels straight to Jounin. You do realise that taking the Jounin level _will _be pledging yourself more seriously to the village, so consider your options very carefully."

"And, if I do that, my sentence is shortened?" Sasuke folded his arms, as if it couldn't quite be that easy.

"Shortened yes, but the extra years will be added on to your community service." Tsunade leaned back into her chair, fingers intertwined before her,

Sasuke gave her a cold, calculating look, "I accept."

I was not expecting such a straightforward answer, neither was anyone else, as Tsunade leaned forward and looked him in the eye,

"You have all week to decide." She pointed out,

"I decide now. I want to accept." The Uchiha stared back, unflinchingly.

I was surprised that he had given such a definite answer, Naruto's jaw dropped, and even Kakashi's visible eye widened slightly – something he only saved for Icha Icha Paradise books.

Tsunade sighed heavily, waving a hand, "Your choice. The rest of you out, I want to talk to the Uchiha about the arrangements."

"Baa-chan –" Naruto whined, before he was silenced by the furious glower on Tsunade's face. He quietly got up without any complaints and left, Kakashi tailing closely behind. I had just risen out of my seat when Tsunade waved me back down,

"Sit Sakura," She said impatiently, "You're his watcher for now, so you must be present too."

"Because Sasuke is not yet trusted enough on his own," her eyes flickered to Sasuke before landing squarely on mine, "The Council has decided that the two of you are to move in together."

She looked dead serious, she sounded dead serious. I groaned. Way to drop a bombshell shishou.

* * *

**~NeXt Up -- ChApTeR 4: UnBeArAbLe CiRcUmStAnCeS~**

* * *

**Okay, and that is CHAPTER THREE complete! *Yayness!!!* Exams are over, results are out -- can't say I love the look of them, but, they _could _be a WHOLE lot worse!**

**Time to chillax for the remainder of the year!! Which probably means: MUCH MORE UPDATES!!! About that (see to the left) not sure whether it's a good thing or bad thing. **

**Feel free to voice whatever criticism or comments in the reviews, I'll be looking forward to them!! xD**

**Hyponess is AWESOME!!!**

**~Candy~**


	4. Uncomfortable Circumstances

****

HI HI~! It's me again LOL! To be honest, this chapter took me a little longer than usual to finish -- hopefully, it is still of good standard.

**The plot -- which is going to be revealed in later chapters -- was created with the help of Ian -- all gratitude to you dude. Let's see if I can place it effectively in the story xDD**

**COMMENCE CHAPTER FOUR!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...I don't even own a cookie now cause I ate it...TT^TT**

**

* * *

**

**~ChApTeR 4: UnBeArAbLe CiRcUmStAnCeS~**

This was like a bad romance film – or even more suited, a _horror _film. Oh Kami. You must hate me.

"I'm sorry," I clenched and unclenched my fists, trying to process this information, "You just said…you want us to _move in together_?"

"Correct." Tsunade confirmed, "Is there a problem with that?"

I stared pointedly at Sasuke, who merely – yet again, raised his stupid eyebrows at me.

_What's wrong pretty boy?? Can't you do anything else?? _I felt like screaming.

"Yes!!" I spluttered, "There _is _a problem – I – I—I _object_!!"

"This isn't a wedding Sakura," Tsunade kneaded her temples, "What's wrong with this arrangement?"

I gaped at her, hopefully she was kidding, counting to five, I inhaled silently,

"I'm sorry" I said, as coolly as I could manage, "but I cannot give up my personal luxury for…this."

"Your luxury will be taken care of."

"Still, I am not comfortable with the situation," I fired back, "Please ask to council to reconsider."

Tsunade drew in a long breath, taking a second to reply, "Fine, but, until the Council makes their decision, Uchiha is a guest in your home."

I opened my mouth, ready to let loose. But shishou gave me a tired look.

* * *

"I understand this is difficult Sakura," she said, her voice sounding strained, "But _you _must understand that it is simply the best I can do at this time. Uchiha, you are to collect your things and arrive at Haruno's in twenty minutes. You are both dismissed."

* * *

"This is your room," I said flatly, opening the door to what used to be my room. I had moved all my belongings to the en suite; no _way _was I going to let Uchiha stay there. No, instead, he could suffer in my brilliantly pink room with little flowery scents drifting around. The slightly pained look on his face was enough to start the satisfaction growing.

I looked at the cloudy weather outside, remembering that I had a training date with none other than Hyuuga Neji.

"I'm going to training." I grumbled, refilling my kunai pouch. He could figure everything else out by himself for all I cared, he was a prodigy right? They were smart enough to find out where the kitchen was.

As soon as I stepped out of the door, I was stopped by ANBU.

"What?" I snapped, not feeling like I should be in a good mood. A guy with the tiger mask apologetically bowed to me,

"Sorry Haruno-san, but as the Uchiha is your responsibility, you cannot leave him alone for more than half an hour."

"What are you guys here for then? Surely one hour, two hours isn't too much of a hassle to just hang around."

"I'm very sorry, but that is the Council's orders."

I gritted my teeth, before going back into the house. Sasuke was waiting at the foot of the stairs when I came in, a small smirk on his face. That little sneak. He definitely knew that I wouldn't even get past my letterbox.

"Hurry up," I bit out, "I need to go training."

"Hn. Why should _I _train just because you want to?" He looked stoically at me, years ago, that might have sent a gigantic surge of happiness up me, but now, it was just a zap of irritation.

"You're going to be trying out for Jounin; it would be in your best interest to do the same. Though I have no idea why you should be allowed to skip Chuunin."

Sasuke looked at my determined face once more, averting his eyes before walking wordlessly to the door.

I almost growled at him, this was _my _house Uchiha, don't you dare play alpha male in it.

* * *

"Haruno." Neji acknowledged with a nod, I smiled, my anger ebbing away. I was looking forward to an extremely good practice.

"Neji-san," I greeted cheerfully, "Sorry I'm late, I got a little caught up. Oh, and I brought Sasuke if that's alright."

He nodded at Uchiha as well, who returned the greeting. Before I knew it, Uchiha had disappeared to the other side of the training court, meditating by the looks of it. I waved it off with my hand,

"Come on Hyuuga," I grinned, making sure my gloves were on tight, "Let's begin."

* * *

During the years I have trained with the Hyuuga, I had discovered something that I was sure irked him and his whole clan off. I had learnt how to unblock my chakra openings – in case they ever got clogged-up. It takes a few seconds, but as I am one who relies on chakra for most of my attacks, the recovery is vital.

Neji prepared himself into a stance I came to know well. Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou. The sixty-four palms. I sent some chakra into my eyes, getting ready. It was already a challenge for me to avoid these hands, but what I was more interested in was how to block them and push back with equal chakra.

The first time I had trained against Neji, I had completely forgotten about his field of Hakke, stepping right into it. Although Neji had hurriedly removed the jutsu, I still found myself hard to carry around for the remainder of the week.

Neji's eyes furrowed, I forced the chakra in my eyes to focus on his hands. In a flurry, his hands jutted back and forth, my own hurried to stop them. When it was over, I had ten chakra openings stopped, the rest I had blocked with a lot of difficulty, and most likely, a lot of luck. In the moment he took recovering, I quickly reached out and tapped two chakra openings in quick succession.

"How?" his eyes widened as his right hand could no longer emit any chakra.

I poked my tongue out at him, "I don't train with you for two years and not learn a few things. When I put the chakra into my eyes, I can see where your hands go, and feel the flow of chakra emitting from them. I was only missing ten more chakra points."

"Then," he glanced at my side, "You just –?"

I grinned, my own smile seeming feral, "Unfortunately, I can't get _just _the right amount yet, I suppose that comes with the Hyuuga blood eh? I can only manage two or three at the most in one battle, before I lose the control over them."

I swung a powerhouse kick at him, catching him unawares in the chest; he was flung back around five meters before he quickly flipped back onto his feet. In one flurry, I let go of five sets of kunai, Neji executed his perfect Hakke Shou Kaiten, warding them all off. I gathered the little chakra I had left and built it on my leg. One stamp and the ground cracked and shattered, appearing where Neji was standing. Or, where he _had _been standing. The move had been double-edged; I had failed to see his movement because of the floating debris. Before I knew it, he appeared directly in front of me, one hand ready to stop my heart for the fifth time today. I sighed in defeat before flopping down,

"Too intense," I panted, trying my best to glare at him, "Won't I ever win?"

I hobbled over to my fallen pack and glanced at Sasuke, who was intently watching us. Neji turned his head towards the way I was looking, before turning back with a questioning look.

"Uchiha?" He asked, "I am assuming you are still interested in some way?"

I almost spat out the water I was drinking, "Hell no!" I blurted out, wiping the dribble of water which had escaped.

"But your previous infatuation…?" Neji tilted his head a little, looking bemused.

"Was crazy," I finished bluntly, "and not going to happen again. I have no feelings for the Uchiha."

I looked at the sky, it was almost dusk, and I had been training for almost three hours. I waited for some chakra to return before healing some of the more serious looking injuries.

"You've learnt some techniques." The voice made me twitch almost uncontrollably. I looked up to see Sasuke's black orbs staring at mine.

"Did you really think I would hang around being _annoying _and _weak_ forever?" I glared at him. He sighed through his nose,

"Are you close to Hyuuga?" Oh, the curiosity seemed out of place for the Uchiha.

"None of your business." I cut him short.

"Let's go."

I wanted to yell at him, tell him to stop giving me orders as if he owned me. But, that would all be spoiled by the fact that I actually _did _want to go home. What was strange was the poor attempt of a conversation he had thrown out, something was definitely amiss.

I grimaced as I got up. Sasuke eyed the swollen ankle which Neji had used as a leverage to throw me.

"Can you walk?" It wasn't asked out of concern for me, I knew that much. It was asked more out of the fact that he wanted to do something, and he thought I was going to slow him down. That bastard.

"What do you care!" I snapped unable to stop the painful feeling of the past rushing back, "This ankle is nothing!" _Compared to what you did_.

He only looked for another moment before turning away.

Good riddance.

* * *

"What do you mean; he's staying at your house?" Ino's eyes widened. I could see she was getting ideas. Not the good ones either.

"Not willingly on either of us," I grumbled, "more or less forced by the Council of Elders."

I had let Sasuke wander back to my house by himself. Surely those ANBU could look after him for an hour.

Ino cackled, eyebrows wiggling, "Don't you see forehead? This is the perfect start to the plan! Where else is better to make him fall in love with you while he's at _your house?_ Under your watch at all times. It's brilliant!"

"No it's not!" I groaned, sitting on her window, "I can't lower myself to that fan girl level again Ino-pig!"

She nodded thoughtfully, "I just think that it might work, but I can see why you're unwilling. Just saying, that now is one of the best moments to strike, while he's uneasy about suddenly returning to the village. Have you thought of any different ideas?"

"Not yet." I looked out, and breathed in the fresh scent of the floral store below, "Haven't really had the time between the training."

"Still at that?" Ino looked at me worriedly, "Ever since, _you know_, you've been training nonstop, as well as your medical duties –"

"They've been temporarily stopped while I'm looking after Sasuke." I interjected, "Tsunade thinks it's too much hassle."

"And she's damn right!" Ino pointed a finger at me, "You need a break, before you pop a vein in that massive forehead of yours."

"I grew into my forehead Ino-pig, unfortunately, you haven't seemed to change." I poked a tongue out at her, laughing at her mock shocked face, before pretending to think.

"Ah yes," I tapped my chin, giving her a Cheshire grin, "Maybe you have grown, even if it's just a little. I mean, grown enough to consider dating someone like, hmm, I don't know…Shikamaru?"

Ino yelped, her face turning cherry red, "What!!" She blurted, "How did you know – "

She lowered her voice, eyes flickering to the door nervously.

"Ooh," I giggled, "Your dad still unaware?"

"_Haruno Sakura!_" Ino whispered furiously, "You will not breathe a word!"

I laughed lightly before patting her on the head, "Of course I won't Ino-pig. How's that going anyway?"

Ino's shoulders slumped, "We're not dating," She said forlornly, "I don't know if he has a thing for Temari though, he seemed quite interested in her."

I gripped her shoulder, forcing her to look up. I grinned cheekily, "If anyone, you can do it! And plus_, __you know that as a best friend, I have the obligation to support you in whatever you do right?_"

Ino grinned back as the familiar words came back to her, "Yeah!" she cheered, "There's no way we'll fail. Let's go kick some butt!"

* * *

"Ugly. Get up!"

The light shone brightly into my room. I chucked a pillow towards the source. To my dissatisfaction, I didn't hear a cry of pain or any of the sorts. Just some sort of indignant chirping.

"Damn it Sai!" I shrieked, sitting upright, trying to open my heavy eyes. "How many times have I told you not to call me Ugly!"

The pillow lay on the floor, I had missed the stupid thing by a long shot, and worse, Sai knew it.

"Too sloppy Ugly, that's why we have training…which by the way, you are already late for."

I came face to face with a little ink bird; it opened its beak and squawked, "Five minutes Haruno, before I come to fetch you personally." The bird then flew away before I had time to rant at it, much to my annoyance.

I quickly threw on my clothes grumbling the entire way. I made sure to be very quiet though, I didn't want Sasuke following me.

* * *

"Sakura, you're late." Kakashi grinned, one eye still on the orange book, while one hand was twirling a kunai absentmindedly.

"That's ironic coming from you." I grinned back, and then I pointed to Sai, "I want to verse _you_. Stupid bird woke me up and _you're _going to pay."

Sai blankly looked at me, "That's convenient. We are already paired up."

"What?"

"Yes, I am to train with you, and dickless is training with the mute."

"The mute?" My eyebrows furrowed when the nickname clicked, "Uchiha."

My attention was diverted to the loud clanging noises where that spar was taking place. I watched for a moment as they exchanged blows, almost as friendly as they did a few years ago. Naruto still retained his fiery spirit, and Sasuke, even though he seemed slightly less comfortable, was returning them with equal strength.

"Yes, I invited him," Kakashi said suddenly from my shoulder, "He _is _still part of this team after all. So, I think he can train with us can't he?"

I scowled, but didn't object. If I said anything more, I knew it would make Kakashi annoyed. And I had to remember that keep my personal feeling out of ninja work. I just gritted my teeth and dragged Sai to the training fields.

I got into fighting stance, unconsciously stomping cracks in the ground. He crouched down, drawing a blank scroll, paintbrush poised, waiting for my next move.

"Bring it on Ugly," he said emotionlessly, a large arc peeling off the paper and forming a hissing snake. I sent the chakra to my feet and tread heavily; the snake fell into the abyss below.

* * *

"What do you want?" I asked tiredly, trying hard not to crumple to the ground. Sai had definitely gone overboard the first time, not to mention my intense spar with Naruto – who had clearly wanted to make up for the last match.

"I want to spar you." Sasuke spoke simply, as if he were asking me to say hello.

"Well," I almost groaned as I took another step forward, "What if I don't want to spar you? You see Uchiha, what you want, you can't always get."

I glared at him, and he glared back.

"Um, you guys?" Naruto popped in awkwardly, eyes moving between us. "Baa-chan wants to speak to you guys."

The Uchiha broke off the eye contact, hands stuck firmly into his pockets as he strolled to the Hokage tower. Naruto stared at me, unspeaking.

"Sakura-chan?" He raked a hand through his messy blond hair, "Are you _still _mad at Sasuke? I understand he hurt you a lot, but we can't change that now. Can't you try and give him another chance?"

He gave me a look that was so unlike Naruto. It was filled with disappointment. I transported myself to the Hokage's office before I would say something I would later regret.

* * *

"Sakura. Uchiha." Tsunade acknowledged as we bowed, "Sit down. The Council has reviewed your situation, and they agree to make the slight exception to the rule."

My mood brightened slightly. Please, please, please.

"Unfortunately, this does not include your living situation." Tsunade eyed me, as my face fell, "Instead, they have withdrawn the ANBU supervision for the time being."

I felt Sasuke relax slightly beside me. Now _I _was the one who took the bad end of _that _situation, without ANBU supervision, I would have to have Sasuke follow me around like a little dog if I wanted to get somewhere. Privacy will become quite impossible. And just as I expected, Tsunade confirmed that fact.

"But that means, that Sakura and her teammates will be in charge of keeping you safe and in line. If that does not happen, then ANBU will return, as well as a possible extension to your sentence. Is that all clear?"

"Aa." If he was a normal guy who wasn't lacking emotion, I'm pretty sure he would have smiled.

"You may leave." Tsunade indicated. When the door closed, Tsunade turned to look at me.

"Sakura," she sighed, "If you want the truth, I am a little disappointed by your lack of effort in this job. I repeat, your personal feelings must _not _affect your performance in anyway!"

I flinched slightly, Tsunade's gaze didn't soften.

"You must remember that when it comes down to it all, this _is _a mission. Others are noticing your behavior and it is far from the professional. It's not easy, I can understand. But please bear with it."

"I understand, shishou."

"Oh and before you leave, I have to ask one more favor of you."

* * *

"So you waited." I squirmed uncomfortably, watching the Uchiha emerge from the shadows.

"Aa." Which probably meant, _I had to because if I took one step onto the main street without a superviser, the ANBU will fry my head off. _Which _I _wouldn't have minded the least.

"Can you come with me please?" I asked hesitantly, taking the lead, and then watching him slowly follow behind. I led him straight to the front gates of Konoha before pausing.

* * *

"_Find out what the Uchiha is up to, the fact that he hasn't escaped yet, troubles me somewhat._"

* * *

"You may leave." I said stoically, my bones feeling stiff and tense. I watched his every move. His face twisted into what looked like surprise and shock for a second, before back to the composed look.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I said, you are free to leave. There are no ANBU now, and at this time, there's no traffic out there. If you leave now you won't be caught."

"Do you want me gone so badly?" He asked skeptically. I almost shouted out yes.

I had expected a nod or a blur as he sped past, straight for the forests. Yet he remained rooted to this spot. I understood why Tsunade felt troubled, if Sasuke had intended to leave, he would have done so. What was keeping him in Konoha?

"I have no intention to leave," he stated, as if reading from a book, yet his expression did not change, "I have been brought back, and I will stay."

I questioned him silently, "So what, you can steal top secret scrolls and sell them to Sound? Just to let you know, your excuse? Yeah, I'm not buying it."

"You can believe what you want." He turned to face me fully. "The first goal is complete. I only need to complete one more."

_The second goal…?_

What was it again? I mused silently, eyes closed. The first goal was to kill Itachi, which he had done successfully already. The second goal?

My eyes flew open.

* * *

_To rebuild the Uchiha clan._

* * *

It was such a cliché turn, yet I hadn't seen it. I never knew Sasuke was a type for cliché.

"How's that keeping you in Konoha? You do know that girls aren't limited only to Konoha." I argued, never taking an eye off him. It only took one diluted pupil, a slight increase in pulse for me to know he was lying. Yet, everything remained normal so far.

"I have a possible candidate here." He stared right at me.

_Me._

Hopefully that did not mean what I thought it meant, because that could potentially spell out DANGER in bright green chakra lights.

* * *

"_Oh and Sakura," Tsunade's lips curled devilishly, "If you want revenge, you best do it discreetly. After all, the best revenge happens in the shadows."_

* * *

**~NeXt Up: ChApTeR 5: At My LiMiTs~**

* * *

**COMPLETE!! YAYNESS! **

**A miracle as my Internet keeps acting up -sighs-**

**Next chapter should be out real soon!! xDD**

**Please give honest feedback, I will be looking forward to them!!!**

**Until next time:**

**~CaNdY~ xDD**


	5. At My Limits

**Hi Hi everyone! It's been ages eh? I'm SOOOOOO SORRY about that!! School has been hectic -- I think teachers are quite evil -- who gives out projects after exams??? TT^TT. My school is eeevil!**

**Anyway, this chapter is the transition xD, you'll learn a bit more about Sakura and what fired the revenge! It wasn't all just the whole knock-you-out-and-leave-you-on-the-bench but admittedly, that itself is bad enough! Warning: It might be a bit draggy for some, but the next chapter, everything will begin!! --Hopefully, but I'm counting on it!!**

**OH! And I'm also such an evil writer!! Everytime I receive your reviews I always feel very encouraged -- So I'm sorry this is the first time I have mentioned because I lose myself a little when writing -- But THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL WHO HAVE WRITTEN REVIEWS!!!!!! It is greatly appreciated xDD**

**CHAPTER FIVE COMMENCE!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto ... But I own this bar of Cadbury Bubbles -- Which is delicious by the way ... Want some? xDD**

* * *

****

~ChAptEr 5: At My LiMiTs~

* * *

"Are you talking about … me?" I squeaked – yes, very regrettably, my voice somehow rose half an octave and ended up…well, _squeaking_. Die Fangirl!

"Hn." His face remained blank as he stared at me – perhaps trying to stare me down? Just a thought – "What would you say if I said yes?"

I blinked, for once lost at words. He couldn't be serious. I had practically fawned over him for _nine_ years of my _life_. And only now, did he even begin to acknowledge me?

I narrowed my eyes dangerously at him, feeling the knuckles pop in my hand as I balled them.

Just as I was about to knock those teeth out, a bright orange clad figure caught my attention.

"Hey teme! Sakura-chan!" He hollered, waving his hands frantically, "Let's go to Ichiraku to eat ramen!!"

Naruto had seemed to have recovered from his disappointment in me earlier on; I didn't want to make him that way again. Silently cursing, I willed myself to drag Uchiha towards Naruto, my hands wrapped themselves around Uchiha's thin wrist, perhaps pressing a little harder than they should have. A satisfying crack and a small wince were heard. I turned back and smiled as sweetly as I could at him,

"Consider that my answer." I squeezed harder, his entire face twitched as he tried to remain calm. It was good. When we were five steps ahead of Naruto, I quickly healed it, pushing my chakra into the cracks, forcing them to mend. It wasn't a smooth mend at all. He was meant to feel the pain.

"Ichiraku was it?" I said loudly, trying to divert Naruto from the greenish tinge my hand was emitting.

"Hai," Naruto smiled and cheered, bouncing off the houses practically, "They have a new dish! Super Jumbo Beef Ramen! I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY IT OUT!"

I let go of Sasuke's wrist, and stared at Naruto, who walked confidently, yet clumsily ahead. A trickle of drool slithered down the corner of his mouth. Eww. I laughed before stepping up and joining him.

"Hey Sakura-chan." He awkwardly scratched his hair, before turning towards me with his furrowed eyes,

"Eh?"

"What's wrong with Hinata-chan? She always goes red when I see her. High blood pressure?"

"_Baka_!" I shook my head, trying to figure out what in the world made Naruto so dense. I glanced back at Sasuke who was watching us in a way that made me feel annoyed. When his eyes met mine, he scowled before turning away.

I smiled to myself, at least Naruto was _much _more considerate and mature than _that_.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto's blue eyes popped at me, his nose just touching mine,

"_Don't get so close to me you baka!_" I yelled, punching him in the face.

* * *

"The sound of ramen being cooked…SO DELICIOUS!" Naruto banged his chopsticks on the counter, a drop of saliva dripping down.

I rolled my eyes, relieved that Sasuke was sitting beside Naruto. Perhaps now was the best time to mull over a new plan.

Let's see, I drummed the table with my fingers, ignoring the enthusiastic one sided conversation behind me with Naruto and Sasuke.

My eyes flickered to the calendar attached to the wall, just behind the counter. A date was circled in bright red. The date of the Jounin exam.

I glanced at Naruto and Sasuke again. This year, not a lot of people qualified for Jounin, half the amount there normally was. For the final battle as well as the second round, each opponent would inevitably have to fight almost everyone. The possibility of becoming Jounin is very high.

I sighed frustrated, a revenge plan was meant to be easy, if only Uchiha was a normal guy and things such as selling his boxers would suffice, but unfortunately, I knew for one that getting his boxers was not an easy task, not to mention would not put a large enough dent on his pride or ego.

"Ramen's here!" Naruto chuckled, muttering the prayer to the Gods before settling in. I smiled a little before tasting my own ramen.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, stopping between bites, which were a _big _thing for him, "The Spring Festival is coming up, who are you going with?"

I gave him a questioning look, what did he mean?

"Well," Naruto swallowed, "The Spring Festival obviously. You need a date."

I almost choked on the ramen, "_Date_?" I coughed, "I've never needed a date before, why would I need one today?"

"But, didn't you go with Hyuuga last year?"

I rolled my eyes before talking another bite of ramen, "So what? I don't have to go with him again this year."

I saw Sasuke turn to face me; his hard eyes seemed to look straight through me.

I pursed my lips and turned so I wasn't even facing Naruto, "I don't need a date."

"But Sakura-chan!" Naruto protested, "The Jounin Exam is the day after it, it's not right for you to attend alone," He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, "How about I take you as _my _date?"

I glared daggers at him before finishing the rest of my ramen, setting the bowl down with a large clunking sound; I left the money on the counter and started to walk away.

"Sakura-chan!!" Naruto yelled after me, "Who am I going to take as a date then?!"

I turned back for a split second, giving him a big grin, "Hyuuga Hinata of course."

"Oi! Just because you dated a Hyuuga doesn't mean I have to!!"

_Baka_. I resisted the urge to turn around and scream at him, hearing a vague order from Naruto to Sasuke for Sasuke to walk me home.

I walked even faster; no _way _was I going to be walking with Uchiha Sasuke!

"We live together. You can't avoid me forever." The cool voice floated beside me, right in step.

I gritted my teeth, "Yes, but I can try."

But no matter how many times I increased my pace, Uchiha followed easily. And truth be told, it pisses me off.

* * *

I sat down near the porch. It was so dark, and I couldn't sleep. I could only stare up at the half round moon, swinging my legs over the porch. It had been four years since okaa-san and otou-san had left. Otou-san had been given a dangerous S rank mission, to track down Sasori himself. He had taken a team of five elite ANBU. At the same time, okaa-san was given an A rank mission to escort a wealthy gentleman back to the Mist country. On her way back, she somehow managed to see the fight between otou-san and Sasori.

"_What happened?" Tsunade demanded, "Where is Haruno-san?"_

_I stood in the corner quietly, observing as the erratic heartbeat and laboured breathing continued. The hospital room stank of blood, the fact that two had escaped was a miracle._

"_She," One of them gasped, "We were returning to Konoha, and she caught a glimpse of Sasori – and her husband – and poison seeping into his system. Blood, everywhere – " _

_She burst out into violent coughs, Tsunade kept feeding her chakra into them with difficulty, "She – She just jumped in, we had to follow – couldn't let her get hurt – but –" Sobs wrecked out of her chest, making her words inaudible._

_I clenched my fists, trying to keep the tears from rolling down my face. Trembling, I stepped forward to help Tsunade heal the patients. Their eyes widened once they saw me, but I struggled to keep emotion off my face._

"_Continue!" Tsunade snapped, diverting their attention back, "You have not finished debriefing!"_

_The Jounin reluctantly averted her eyes before staring down, the other Jounin unsteadily took over, "Sasori took them out with one jutsu. There was a rain of needles, one second – and it was over. Pierced right through the both of them. A quick death."_

"_How about you?" Tsunade's eyes gleamed sharply, "How did you escape?"_

"_He left us – we were protected by Haruno-sans jutsu, hidden by her. He was either too weak to notice, or did not think we were worth the trouble, yet we managed to observe it all."_

_I felt coldness seep through my sides, a numbing feeling in the side of my body._

"_Did you see anyone else?" Tsunade pressed, "No information should be left out!"_

"_There was a boy –" The Jounin groaned, pressing a palm to her forehead, "I should know –" Her eyes widened, "Uchiha Sasuke!"_

_I froze completely. The flow of chakra stopped for a moment before I pushed it back out again._

"_And his participation?" Tsunade warned me with her eyes to remain professional. I swallowed hard, trying to sort out the muddle of thoughts racing through my head. _

"_The Uchiha was present, yet he made no move to aid the Akatsuki. Or to stop him."_

_I almost fell to the floor. My mind flickered on and off, he didn't stop it? It was impossible that he did not recognise them! I continued with trembling fingers, trying to avoid Tsunade's penatrating gaze._

"_Understood. Before you proceed," Tsunade glanced at me, "Sakura, you are dismissed."_

At that time, I had thought that Sasuke was still good. He had no choice. I had tried to persuade myself all sorts of crazy things. I kept up my determination in getting Sasuke back, but I was bitterly disappointed when I confronted him.

I looked straight up, breathing in a deep breath of cool air,

* * *

_Okaa-san, Otou-san – what would you say to me, if you knew what I was doing now?_

* * *

The stars twinkled as usual, but also -- as usual -- provided no answer. I hadn't been expecting one. I smiled softly, were they mad?

I still remember when I had confessed to Sasuke, it wasn't easy at all, even though he was aware of my feelings, telling him so directly had almost caused me to go crazy. There was always the possibility of him turning me down, I always understood that. But, I thought, since it was _me_, perhaps he might have changed his mind and not left the village? Up until this day, I had always wondered what might have happened, if I had actually plucked up the courage to truly oppose him. Would he still be here?

But the past is unchangeable. I, of all people, knew that the best. For now, I should focus on the future.

I sighed, picking myself up and closing the sliding door, passing my old room. The door was open, and the sleeping Uchiha seemed so calm, and harmless. Unevitably, the option of forgiveness crossed my mind for the briefest moment. It was useless, I shook my head to get rid of it.

* * *

_I have other bonds, fraternal bonds forged through hate._

* * *

My energy is wasted on him, the bonds we had previously created meant nothing.

* * *

I didn't speak a word to Sasuke the next morning, feeling a wretched sick feeling in my gut every time I looked at him. Last nights reminiscing left a sour aftertaste behind.

"Sakura, today your sparring partner will be Sasuke."

I nodded, silently, tying the forehead protector tighter. Good thing I stocked up on weaponry yesterday.

"Don't you think it's slightly worrying that she made no objection of any kind?" I heard Kakashi ask Naruto.

I trundled off to the fields; the Uchiha had his back leaning against the tree trunk. He raised an eyebrow at me,

"Sakura."

I glared at him, "It's Haruno."

His eyes observed me coldly as he shrugged, wordlessly closing his hand around his katana. I watched his movements carefully.

I charged, flinging kunai rapidly. His Sharingan was deactivated, yet he managed to avoid all of them, all plunging deep into the tree trunks surrounding him. Big mistake. He shouldn't have underestimated me. Quickly, I manipulated the chakra strings attached to the kunai, in an instant; they were pulled out and flung back at the Uchiha. Some grazing, but three managed to dig themselves into his thigh. For a second, he looked at me in surprise, before the crimson bled over the black. Three tomoes appeared, black contrasting against the red.

It was about time. I called all the chakra into my vocal chords; his eyes followed the movement of my chakra. I grinned, releasing a torrent of horrible sounds. Not my best use of chakra, but effective just the same. As expected, Uchiha winced for a moment; I could see him struggling to resist the natural urge to cover his ears. I lunged forward, tapping two chakra openings on his wrist, the energy being drained out of me.

Panting heavily, I jumped back, and allowed some time for myself to recuperate. In a flash, I could hear his katana crackling, slicing the wind as it was swung. I leapt out of the way just in time for it to explode at the ground under my feet.

"Shit," I muttered, feeling the wind of the katana as it was sliced close to my face in every move. It took all of my focus to stay out of the way of the sharp blade. I brought out the new kunai, made with chakra reinforcements. Thankfully, it served its purpose. As the katana crossed it, the kunai did not break.

"Hatred." Sasuke stared, "It's in your attacks."

"You would know." I replied, struggling to push back with equal force, "You will pay Uchiha. I will make you bleed."

The katana was flung aside by a burst of chakra to my hands. My kunai pressed against his throat for a split second, a trickle of blood rolled down. Crimson.

I was waiting for the Uchiha to disappear into smoke. But it didn't. Even something spectacular as a comeback, but nothing happened. I looked in disgust at him; he still hasn't acknowledged me or my skills. He had watched my parents die. Which part of me could I bring to forgive him?

* * *

_Hatred_.

* * *

He knew, he was familiar with it. Was I turning into him? I threw the kunai onto the ground; the tip buried itself deep into the soil. I turned away.

* * *

_Take a good look at my back._

* * *

"I blame you for everything, how you just stood and watched."

_Watched my parents die._

I closed my eyes before opening them with a determined spark, "Fight me again when you're ready to stop hiding." I walked right past Kakashi, who gave no indication of stopping me. He let out a long sigh.

"Uchiha, you're with me." He said glumly, looking over at me. I pretended not to notice. I had made the decision long ago to protect others. But, in the process, I still have to remember to protect myself as well. That was my excuse to ward off the look Naruto had on his face. Even Sai had not made a comment.

* * *

I don't understand why everyone is so disappointed with me. I angrily kicked a tree stump, causing a big dent. Why isn't anyone else feeling what I am? Was revenge truly the right idea? It was wasn't it? I stormed through the hospital doors and pushed myself into the staff room.

"Haruno-san!" One of the nurses commented with surprise, "What are you doing here? You're still on leave!"

"Give me my clipboard!" I snapped, putting on my coat and washing my hands, "I'm cutting my leave short."

Her eyes widened, "But the schedules – and Tsunade-sama!"

I plucked my clipboard from her stack, "I am returning to work! There is no problem with that."

I needed to clear my head, make sure that I could make the right decisions with a cool head. I glanced at the first name on the clipboard. Making sure my gear was all in tact, I entered the first room.

"Good morning Takuma-san, I will be your nurse for today."

This _is _the right choice.

* * *

One of the nurses rushed up to me, "Sakura-san!" she exclaimed, "You have to rest, seven hours of work isn't good for you!"

I brushed back sweat-soaked pink locks with my hand, before allowing a tired grin to plaster itself onto my face, "Thank you Harumi, I'll just sit down for a while."

She took the clipboard from my fingertips, giving me a concerned glance before walking off.

I closed my eyes for a moment, allowing myself to completely relax all muscles.

Had I come to a decision? Was revenge worth all this? Tsunade, Naruto, Kakashi even. All bitterly disappointed. How was it that they managed to welcome the Uchiha back with warmth? The tangle my heart had unravelled itself from was back.

Suddenly, the sirens started blaring. My eyes flew open, darting to the doors. A person on a stretcher burst through, nurses and surgeons hooking the patient up, yelling pulses and blood pressure.

"Haruno-san! Haruno-san!" One of them yelled, "Emergency case! He's severely injured, just back from a mission! Needs surgery right away!"

I forced my muscles to pick me up from the chair, and rushed over to the stretcher. A horrible wound in one small area in his back, and a deep gash near his heart. Those long black locks, although matted with blood, was familiar, the pearl eyes, although closed were recognisable. The ANBU mask lay fallen on his side.

"Hyuuga Neji!"

My eyes widened. I felt a feeling of distraught pass me.

"Quick!" I snapped, "Take him in! I'll operate now!"

* * *

"His condition is now stable." A nurse finally announced after a tiring three hours.

My legs trembled; I choked back a sob of relief. My chakra was so low; there was hardly any of it left. If the operation required more, I might not have had enough. The nurses and I made our way back into the main staff area.

"Thank Kami you were there Haruno-san," One of new nurses was saying, her voice drowned by the whirring in my head, "That was gory wasn't it!"

I couldn't help noticing the sticky sensation of blood on my fingertips, making me feel slightly sick. I hobbled over to the sink to wash the blood off.

Neji was in a critical condition, the thought of losing him had made my whole body shudder. Losing a friend. What if I lost Naruto because of my inability to even bear the Uchiha? Would that, in any way, be worse than losing a friend to death?

_Hatred_. The Uchiha had said. Was that truly what I was feeling?

I tried to breathe properly, the entire room faded in and out. What was this? I hazily scanned my body, trying to understand what was happening. But that was it, I had no chakra, my body was at its limits. I tried to steady myself; this was not professional at all! I took unsteady steps forward, before my legs collapsed under me.

"_Haruno-san!"_

"_Sakura—"_

The voices were so dim, what was I doing? Oh Kami, please don't say I'm fainting. If I could have groaned I would have, a medic fainting in a hospital? Tsunade-shishou was going to have my head. For a second, I thought I saw a blurred vision of ebony eyes, I kept staring until I couldn't see anymore.

I swear someone picked me up. How wrong was this? I let myself be carried away by in the moment. The question of what should happen next, still lingering in my head.

* * *

**~NeXt Up -- UnExPeCtEd ViSiT~**

* * *

**YAY! TADA! Chapter 5 COMPLETE! After such a long time as well TT^TT, hope it was worth the wait!!**

**I'm getting a little stuck with the plotting .. O_o^*^*^* Is that normal for the first time?**

**LOL, well, anyway, I'll be looking forward to your reviews as usual -- hope it didn't disappoint!!**

**ONCE AGAIN!!!! Thank you to those who have reviewed xDDD!!!!**

**~CaNdY~**


	6. Unexpected Meeting

**Hi Hi!!! Back **_**again**_**! Lol, I need a new opening greeting – I think it may be getting old!!**

**So sorry for the EXTRA LONG TIME I TOOK XO. But unfortunately, one, even though its almost end of school, I am still buried under a pile of work and also, relatives who are awesome, but don't like me spending too much time on the comp. T^T**

**Thanks again for your reviews – I'm making it a point to do this before every story because the fact that some took the time to reply really makes me feel happy TT_TT Trust me, that's a happy face xDD.**

**In reply, I'm really sorry, but since I started with Sakura's POV, I have to maintain it. I don't really like the concept of jumping from POV to POV because I know that sometimes, it may be very confusing – so apologies. However, I'll do my best to make sure everyone else's emotions are conveyed clearly. But truthfully, sometimes I regret choosing this form, because a Gods Eye View would be able to show different scenes, but I'm hoping that this POV would help the readers relate more to Sakura. Um…what else? **

**OH YEAH, I'm sorry for all confusion – hopefully all cleared up in this chapter? I will probably be making some changes to the last chapter to avoid any more confusion of the sorts.**

**CHAPTER 6 COMMENCE!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...but a new box of chocolates YAYNESS!**

**

* * *

**

**~ChApTeR 6: UnExPeCtEd MeEtInG~**

* * *

_Those black onyx eyes, boring right into me._

_Where am I?_

_Those eyes, coolly regarding the scene with utmost coldness. His body was unmoving, his head tilted towards the bloody grounds. I followed his gaze with my eyes. It was a battlefield – or what was left of it. He showed no emotion, watching Sasori strike a deadly blow to otou-san first, before okaa-san. He didn't twitch. He didn't show any emotion, or any attempt to stop him. Just stood there, and observed. _

"_Uchiha." Sasori turned, "What are you here for."_

_Sasuke wordlessly ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding the tail which had soared where his head had been._

"_A message from Orochimaru," He looked at the puppeteer with half-lidded eyes, "He warns the Akatsuki to stay out of his business."_

"_My, my, is that a threat? And I suppose _you _are the messenger?" Sasori chuckled, appearing beside Sasuke before the Uchiha could twitch. Sasori scrutinized him._

"_You are Itachi-san's brother, correct?" Sasori turned his back, a hint of amusement in his voice, "As much as I'd like to teach you a lesson, I cannot. I'm afraid I will pay dearly for it."_

_Sasuke stiffened before drawing his katana and plunging it into Sasori's back in one swift arc, "Do not mention that name in front of me," he growled, taking the sword out roughly. The smoke curled out of the wound yet Sasori remained upright._

"_Until next time Uchiha." Before the hunchbacked figure disappeared._

_The look on Sasuke's face was disbelief and shock, he glanced at the blood pooling around the bodies, before another emotion flickered. That was all before the poker face was plastered back on. Then, he was gone._

* * *

I groaned softly, a pounding headache in my head. I prepared some chakra to relieve it, only to find that I still hadn't fully recovered from my little act. Oh no. I buried my face into the pillow. Was I a complete idiot? I had _fainted _– bad enough in itself, but then, in a public hospital! _Tsunade's _hospital.

Kami, think I should just go jump into a lake now, save the trouble of Tsunade killing me with her own bare hands. I groggily sat myself up, feeling the familiar texture of the bed beneath me. The room swam for a while to my dismay – surely I wasn't going to faint _again_?? Twice in one day would make a new personal record. Luckily, my vision steadied itself and I placed my bare feet onto the cold floor. It was dark, but only a while left till sunrise. Who had taken me home?

I hoped it wasn't who I thought it was. I brought up a hand to hastily comb my hair, only to find cold sweat running down the side of my face. Why?

That's right, the murder of my parents. The third emotion on the Uchiha's face – I couldn't place it at all, no matter how hard I had tried. I had retrieved all this data after Tsunade-sama had retired to bed – drunk. The night my parents had died, I had crept into her office and searched through Tsunade's paperwork. A grueling task, but I had found the documents regarding the accident piled on top. The reports did not give me enough to stop the anger. After a long time of deciding which shoulder angel to listen to – I obviously chose the devil, I mean, a girl can be evil once in a while can't she? – I used the forbidden jutsu that Tsunade had taught me in case of an emergency. Memory extraction. The fact that the complicated jutsu ended in a success would have made me feel so proud and ecstatic, watching myself stand in the midst of a memory, however, the circumstances required otherwise. I hadn't told Kakashi or Naruto about what had happened. What would they say? At that time, I had still wanted him back.

But the shock of seeing Sasuke again kept me frozen for a few more minutes, it made me curse myself for letting him leave the village. Until a cold hand closed itself over my heart, the realization dawned that he had just stood and taken no action. I had fought over the problem for so long. But the reality was – I just didn't want to face the truth.

"Are you awake?" The voice came out of seemingly nowhere in the darkness, floating towards me. I jerked a little before standing up, glaring.

In the little time that I had to become _re_acquainted with the Uchiha, I found that he is capable of very few facial movements. It's either, raised eyebrows, glaring, smirking, staring, narrowing his eyebrows and widening his eyes. Each is equally infuriating.

"What do you think?!" I snapped, glancing quickly out of the window, the sun was rising, the tip just seen over the horizon. I started towards the door, only to find it blocked by a bandaged hand.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow somewhat casually. I growled at him before trying to swat his arm away, his free hand caught my own in midair.

"I am going to the hospital," I said, teeth grinding against one another. I raised my emerald eyes to stare into his onyx ones – but not in the romantic fashion I had once imagined. More of a glaring contest, surprisingly; the Uchiha broke off the contact.

"The Hokage has banned you from work until further notice." He stated, as if stating the weather, as if he had told me about something that would make no difference in my life. My eyes had widened a little before narrowing once more. I glanced towards the window, but Sasuke saw it – as he irritatingly saw everything.

"I wouldn't do that." His voice rumbling, a hint of amusement in there perhaps? "The nurses have been ordered not to let you into the hospital. It would be better if you stayed in bed."

"Since when were _you _in any condition _ever _to boss me around?!" I pushed past him and stormed out of the house, forgetting that I was still wearing my pajamas.

* * *

"Is there any particular reason?" Ino drawled, I stopped halfway through my rant. I turned to look at her.

"For what?" I must have looked a little dazed, Ino sighed, motioning my clothes.

I looked down. I was wearing a yellow t-shirt with ramen on the front – courtesy to Naruto who had given it to me on my birthday. It was truthfully too ugly to wear anywhere in public, so I wore it as pajamas as well as white shorts.

"Okay," I admitted, "It's not the best fashion statement, but at least I'm not indecent right?"

Ino raised her eyebrows, "Forehead, three quarters of your legs are showing, you don't seem to be wearing a bra, and you just stomped eight blocks looking like _that _and barefoot! It may not be indecent but it's certainly not what you _should _be running around in!"

I colored a little before turning and glaring at Ino, "Oh yeah Ino-pig? Well, funny _you _should talk about indecent!"

"What are you trying to say Forehead huh? That I'm a slut? That I'm not good enough for any man?" Ino stood so she was eye to eye with me. For a few seconds we both stood there unmoving. As if everything we had just said would take a while to sink in.

I looked at her face, finding hat I've missed a lot of major details. She _was _slightly crabbier than usual – but I assumed that it was because I came knocking rather early. But now I saw that her eyes were swollen, her face slightly blotchy and red.

"Ino?" I asked more gently, "Did something happen?"

Ino huffed, before looking into my eyes. As soon as she did, she knew I was serious. Ino sank to the floor, her chin still tilted in a way which I knew was her own way of saying that she was too proud to cry.

"I think he's going out with Temari." She said slowly, as if she herself was processing her own words.

"Temari?" I skeptically raised an eyebrow, even though the first impression seemed a little odd, I suppose it _did _make sense, "Well, have you confirmed it? It's a terrible habit of both me _and _you, to jump to conclusions."

"You don't need to confirm it." Her words seemed to lose their determination with each second. I was about to open my mouth to reply when she suddenly cut me off.

"I thought that because he was always by my side, I could keep him there." Ino whispered before turning to me, "Sakura, I've tried _everything. _I hate that I can lose him. If he marries that Temari girl, he's going to have to move to Sand right? Since she's the Kazekage's sister, there's no way she's going to come here!"

"Ino," I warned, trying to stop her from getting too carried away, "We don't know yet. Come here, we'll both figure something out."

She hugged me fiercely, "Sakura, what should I do?"

I didn't want to tell her "Everything will be okay." Because I didn't know if it would be. And also because I wasn't fit to give _anyone _advice at that moment. I did the only thing I could, I hugged her back.

* * *

I had slightly calmed down by the time I had closed the door to Ino's house. It was nice of Ino to borrow me her long coat when I started walking back home. Only half the people gave me looks this time, but come on, Ino buys the brightest clothes in the world! I sighed, turning the handle to my house. As soon as I stepped in, this aroma hit me straight in the face.

It was a mixed smell, just wafting about. I hung the coat on the stand before following the smell into the kitchen.

"Uchiha?" I exclaimed, looking at Sasuke casually throwing some spring onions into the sizzling pan, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

He didn't even look up at me – cocky bastard, "Making lunch. Sick of ramen."

It was as simple as that. I watched as he moved the rice around the pan. I crept forward a little more, only to a shocking sight; perhaps the Uchiha wasn't that great with taste.

"Uchiha," I said slowly, eyes slowly widening, "Why is half the pan covered in tomatoes?"

"Healthy," he turned to look at my horrified face, "Don't like, don't eat."

What, could he not talk in proper sentences now? I rolled my eyes before taking out two bowls, placing them on the dining table. Surprisingly, the rice was actually nice. The tomatoes have it a tangy taste. But of course, the only thing I told him was "Thanks."

"Kakashi said there is a meeting in an hour," He said calmly, leaving me to wash the dishes, "If anybody is late, he will prepare punishment."

I puffed out my cheeks, furiously scrubbing the bowls. Late? Punishment? I don't think anyone could _ever _be later than Kakashi. Only then, did I realize that my bad mood from before was completely gone. I stopped for a while, thinking. In the morning, I was angry, then I was angrier when the Uchiha butted himself into my issues, I was sad for Ino and confused for myself, and now I was all fine again? I sighed, shaking my head, rinsing off the dishes. These were some intense mood swings.

* * *

"I can't believe that idiot!" Naruto ranted, face scrunched up comically in frustration, "He told us to come early and he's running an hour late himself!! Stupid sensei."

I leaned onto the bridge, not like I wasn't expecting this. I watched Sai as he drew ten to twenty black crows in a swish of his brush; they peeled off the paper and flew towards the north.

"Finding Kakashi?" I asked lightly, "Don't you think he'll find that a little irritating? You know how he hates your crows; they think his hair is a nest."

"I know." Sai with a final stroke, watching the last crow fly away, before plastering that annoyingly fake smile onto his face, "That's why I do it."

I twitched, never able to understand why he needed to consult _books _on how to act normal. I turned back to look at Naruto, he was arguing with Sasuke…very loudly. Or more like, it was a one side argument. Sasuke wasn't saying much, just had a small smirk on his face with the occasional comebacks. It's funny how his face can make someone hate him so much.

Sai tilted his head to the sky, "Ah, he's here." He said pleasantly.

Sure enough, the white poof indicated the arrival of Kakashi, with numerous twigs and leaves in his white spiky hair, not to mention many crows busy gathering more. I held back a laugh, although Naruto didn't try at all, bursting into guffaws of laughter. Kakashi gave a glare to Sai, the air around us suddenly cackling with evil aura. Naruto and I gulped, even Sasuke inched away.

"Get the damn crows out of my hair before I kill you."

Sai smiled once more, waving a hand. The crows poofed away. Kakashi kept glaring at Sai as he swiped all of the remaining objects out of his hair.

"What's your excuse this time?" I asked with a wry smile, doubt hopefully evident on my face. I twirled a kunai between my two fingers, watching him twitch uncomfortably as his mood suddenly changed.

"Um – I got lost on the road of … life?" He finished lamely.

Naruto punched him the same time I threw the kunai. "Liar!" Naruto yelled, pointing an accusing finger as always, "You've already used that excuse you baka!"

"Anyway," Kakashi effortlessly batted away Naruto, and pulled out the kunai from his hair – bad hair day definitely – "Tsunade has lifted your sentence temporarily Uchiha, you are to go on C rank mission with us."

Naruto immediately forgot the quickly rising bump on his forehead, and grabbed me into a bear hug, "Sakura-chan!" He said happily, "This is great! We're all going on a mission!"

I managed to press down on my anger enough to smile back, "Yeah." My eyes flickered to the Uchiha, not masking any of the annoyance I felt. It was as if I could not express everything I wanted to shout out in words. His eyes remained unflinching, adding on to my hate.

"Your bags are to be packed tonight; we will be heading off towards Sand at dawn tomorrow morning. Oh, and bring your tons of weapons, uh, there's a weapons master visiting up there."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, "Weapons master?"

"Uh, yeah, okay, bye!"

Suspicious much?

"_You better not be late you butthead!" _

Guess who just said that. Twas not me.

* * *

The Uchiha was staying far too close to me. Our hands bumping occasionally in the narrow street. I made sure that he knew that I loathed his touch, by jerking my hand back and shooting glares at him. Once I saw the group at the gates, I had a bad feeling that something more was about to happen on this mission. Instead of just our team of four, I spotted four extra members around. Neji was leaning against the gate, eyes closed arms crossed. Tenten was going through her backpack, no doubt stuffed full of weaponry, and Lee and Gai were locked in what seemed like an intense warm-up exercise. Surprisingly, Kakashi was already present, however, his carefree-ish attitude seemed duller.

"What's going on?" I turned to face Kakashi, who pretended not to hear. Surely this was too many people for a simple C-rank mission! "Kakashi." I warned in a low voice.

"They're just tagging along Sakura," He said simply, as if there were nothing else to it, before I could argue with him even more, he waved his hand to the rest, "Come on, let's go. Everyone's here I suppose."

I opened my mouth, ready to let loose when everyone started moving. After about ten minutes, Neji stopped on the tree limb in front of me, and pulled my arm gently before I could move to another branch.

"Sakura-san," he said formally, "I must thank you for saving me yesterday." He bowed deeply, his pale face serious. I laughed nervously, thumping the prodigy on the back. Seriously, anything to get rid of the weird, heavy atmosphere.

"No problem," I laughed, "I would say that you're welcome anytime, but I don't think it's very suitable."

Neji noticeably relaxed, "Yes, I suppose."

We both smiled at each other.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Come look at this! I'm actually beating teme!" The hyper voice blasted through the many trees ahead of us.

"Dobe, it's not a contest!"

"Hey! Who you calling dobe? YOU'RE THE ONE COMING LAST!"

"Shut up dickless, you're so far behind you can't even see my butt."

"Why would I wanna see your damn butt you…you…cyborg homo!"

And hence the comeback. I started chuckling out loud, before abruptly stopping myself. What was I thinking? I furrowed my brow and sped forward to catch up to them, forgetting all about the Neji who stood behind me.

"Damn Uchiha." I cursed, the wind whipping my face, "Sakura, you are _mad_. _Mad_. Go kick ass!"

It was stupid of me, and showed how desperate I was. But I _had _to remember my place with him, and not drop my guard for a second. With our sort of past, it was easy to worm his way into my affections with me oblivious the entire time. Suddenly, I heard the whole group stop in front of me. For a second, I was confused, but then I knew. Three large chakra forces were heading this way. Tenten and Lee were already poised, even Neji, a white blur that streaked past me was tense and ready. Naruto and I exchanged glances, there seemed to be something that they knew that we didn't. My eyes flew over to the Gai and Kakashi. Both were alert already. Even Sai looked expectantly into the distance. They had all been expecting this, but what was it?

Judging from Naruto's bemused look, he obviously doesn't know either – but the Uchiha? No. He was looking in the distance with wide open eyes. That must mean that _we _were the only ones not told.

"Kakashi!" I hissed, "You better tell me what the hell is going on."

"Sasuke's teammates." He said simply, not taking his gaze away from the upcoming figures, "They escaped from the Sand prison yesterday."

I gaped at him, before drawing out my own weapons.

"Why was Sasuke placed on this team then? Wouldn't it tempt him more to leave?" Naruto looked really mad, "It's like a big welcome home mat – the _other _home. After Sakura spent so much effort getting him back as well!"

"Hey, I was not pleased about this either." Kakashi gritted his teeth, "But do you really think that they are _stupid _enough to come meet us? As much as I trust you two, you really can't keep your mouth shut around the Uchiha – hence me only telling Sai. Your role is to keep Sasuke safe. And Sakura … be careful. You are low enough on chakra as it is.

"As for the number of people– as you both are probably thinking right now, there have been said to be some … enhancements to the threes ability."

"Enhancements?" I rolled the word around in my mouth, before I finally understood, "Of course, Sand wouldn't let them go so easily. Akatsuki must have given them something whilst undercover. But, with such tight security –"

A shruiken cut off a few strands of my hair as it whizzed past. There was no more time left to analyze or be briefed. They were here. Damn Kakashi, if only he had told us earlier!!

I glanced at the familiar faces of the three. Only, in a few ways, they looked a little different. The water guy, Suigetsu looked a little bigger from last time. Karin had a confident smirk on her face, and Juugo seemed more nervous and more excited. I met Neji's eyes on instinct, ready to follow his always reasonable orders. He nodded once before leaping forward. His order? Attack like a rabid animal. That, I could do. Leaping forward bearing a kunai, I aimed at Juugo, however, my kunai was batted aside by the redhead.

"Oh no, pink girl." She grinned wildly, eyes wide behind her spectacles, "You're with me."

I glanced at the Juugo person, Neji and Sai, Tenten and Gai were already attacking him. It was a lot for one person, but because of the curse seal, it was reasonable enough. Kakashi, Naruto, Lee and Sasuke were attacking Suigetsu. However, the Uchiha's movements seemed slightly sluggish to what his usual standard was.

A fist came flying at me, and I just dodged it. She seemed to have gotten slightly faster from last time.

"You little slut," She whispered fiercely, "I can't believe that you would try to steal _my _Sasuke."

A leg kicked me in the stomach. Ouch. I could feel the blood rising and quickly swallowed it back down – gross. I quickly checked my chakra tank – I was good for a few big shots. But nothing more. A small injection of chakra sent me plummeting right in front of her.

"Yeah, I wanna steal him," I smirked, bringing a chakra-laden fist right into her face, "But not for the same reason."

I watched with satisfaction as she practically left skid marks on the dirt – if that was possible. Just when I was about to turn around to help the others, she had jumped back onto her feet. I glanced at my fist. No way. I had sent enough chakra in that fist to knock out the Hokage if she had given me a free shot. And I had definitely landed it square in her face.

"Surprised?" Karin smiled, spitting out some blood, "We've gotten better. Unlike you pathetic Leaf ninjas. I'm gonna knock you into the next era."

I narrowed my eyes, racking my brains. There was one technique. Highly effective – easily renders your opponent defenseless and at a disadvantage, yet takes extremely careful timing. It was in my first chuunin exam, in the Forest of Death. The sound nin's had broken Lee's eardrum by manipulating the sound waves. Although I had trained myself hard to try and copy the technique, I could only use my chakra to push the sound waves a short distance. I stood still, letting her come at me. At the last second, I clapped my hands sharply, and tried to push the sound waves. The fist connected with my jawbone, shifting it out of place.

"Crap." I swayed as I stood up, I had let go of it too late. My hand went to my jaw, snapping it back into place. Karin was already a meter from me and gaining fast. I quickly tried pushing the sound wave again, but fell short. This time, her palm went to my stomach, causing the blood to rise back and dribble out the corner of my mouth.

"Sasuke-kun is _mine_!"

Screw it! Screw the damn sound crap! I waited for her to get nearer once more, and twisted her ear with such force, I was sure I heard cracking sounds. She whimpered in pain, falling to her knees. I injected chakra into her ear, searching for her eardrum before causing it to become damaged. Blood leaked out of her ear.

"Get it right bitch, I want Sasuke. Right now, he's _mine. _And when all this shit has blown over and I've cut that ego of his into little pieces, I'll be nice enough to mail the broken bits to you." I slammed her back into the ground, a few fingers creeping to find her vital points, "Until then, you better keep away. Or next time, I will blow your ugly little head off."

I left her slump on the ground. My stomach felt like the whole thing had been mushed out, chewed and thrown back in, my head dizzy, and chakra reserves almost gone. Still, look who's still standing on her two feet. Congratulating myself a little, while scolding myself for giving such a provocative speech, I turned to give Kakashi and Naruto a hand. Just in time to see Suigetsu's sword fly out of control. Towards the Uchiha. Who was looking the opposite way. Totally _oblivious_.

I didn't know what came over me. One minute I was rooted to the spot. The next I was flying towards the Uchiha, putting a lot of chakra into my feet. My mind was commanding me to stop, yet my body refused to listen. Then, I was directly in front of the Uchiha, facing him.

"What –" We both stuttered simultaneously, before a whole load of blood splattered onto the front of his white shirt. I looked behind him; no one seemed to be there. For a moment, I wondered where the blood came from, until I looked into his astonished onyx eyes. I could see myself, reflected in those orbs, a sword protruding from my stomach. I almost groaned aloud. Oh come on, hasn't my stomach taken enough of a beating today?

"Sakura?" How strange. A panicked voice from the Uchiha. The familiar feeling of arms picking me up came back.

"Yes that's me." I coughed up more blood, staining his white shirt even more, "Haha, you deserved that Uchiha, you lazy excuse for a man. How could you have just watched them die? I will never forgive you."

I focused my eyes onto his onyx ones, if I was gonna faint, might as well haunt him with my face. The anger suddenly burst out, flooding me and destroying the little reason left. "You have f-felt hatred Uchiha," My tongue was feeling a bit weird, "you have seen the effect. Be prepared. I am going to get you. And make you hurt so much, you'll beg for death. I am not doing this for you."

I wished that I had closed my eyes then, I could have just ended it like that. But no, I was too stubborn, and kept them open long enough to see and recognize the mysterious third emotion in his eyes.

Sorrow. Regret. There was pain etched in. I would never know whether my face haunted him in the end, but I knew that by the time my eyes closed, his face haunted _me_.

* * *

**~NeXt Up: ChApTeR 7: ThE NeW DrUg~**

* * *

**Whew! COMPLETE! Oops, not entire story, just this chapter!! Ooh, it's on. Karin will be murdered by the hands of Sakura!! ~insert evil laughter~ or not. **

**Hope you enjoyed as usual!! **

**Looking forward to your reviews, they are a pleasure to read, good or bad!! **

**Ciao for now!**

**~CaNdY~**


	7. The New Drug

**I FINALLY COMPLETED THE SERIES! ... Just joking. Just chapter 7 ^^. Sorry it took so looooooooong, I'll try to be more speedy with the updates, but unfortunately, my mum has limited my internet time to TWO HOURS PER DAY. . Tis a tragedy indeed. I'll really try my best to be faster in updates xD**

**Thank you all in the reviews! 71 REVIEWS, I couldn't believe it ^^**

**Hope You Enjoy!**

**COMMENCE CHAPTER 7!!!! FINALLY!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto ~weeps~ ... but I DO happen to own these chocolate seashells ~drool~ ... **

**

* * *

**

****

~ChApTeR 7: ThE NeW DrUg~

**

* * *

**

_Beep._

_Beep._

I blearily opened my eyes before quickly shutting them again. Even the eerie light from the room gave me a raging headache. I desperately wanted to shut the stupid machine off. The sound echoed in the room, driving me _crazy_. On the bright side, there _was _sound. I sniffed. The unique smell of cherry blossoms had drafted into the room. I was definitely back in Konoha.

"Sakura-chan! You're awake!" Only Naruto would say something so blatantly obvious.

"Of course it's me," I croaked, trying to spread my lips into a smile. I slowly reopened my eyes, feeling a little more comfortable. Naruto's shape blurred before focusing.

"Ah, Sakura-chan!" He leant over, blinking his large eyes, "Are you hurt?"

I lifted myself up, feeling a jolt of pain run through my heavily bandaged stomach. Ouch. "Baka," I said softly, wincing a little, "If I wasn't hurt, why the hell would I be in a _hospital_?"

Naruto laughed sheepishly, running a calloused hand through his hair, "So, Sakura-chan," he leaned in close, a mischievous smile on his face, "No offense but you almost died." His eyes widened considerably, "Did you see your life flash before you? Did a shinigami visit you?"

I weakly whacked him on the head, grinning, "Baka. Just the usual faint and black out." Then, I suddenly remembered, "Uchiha." I looked at Naruto, feeling a little panicked, "Where is he?"

Before Naruto could answer, Kakashi wordlessly stepped in.

"Out." He said casually, "It's my shift."

"Aw, but –" Naruto pulled a face at him, "You owe me some ramen then sensei."

Kakashi shrugged, pulling out the ever-so-loved Icha Icha Paradise book and thumbing through the pages. It was quiet for a long time, hardly any movements – apart from my eye twitching and a perverted smile on his face from time to time.

"Where's Sasuke?" Well. I didn't _care_. Of course not, but surely it would suck if I almost lost a life to a guy who had skedaddled in the end.

"He's in Konoha," he said vaguely, eyes still glued to the book, "But under ANBU supervision again. But he's fine."

I scowled, bunching the sheets up in my hands, "ANBU supervision? Why?" I almost feared the answer.

It took a few minutes for him to reply, being _distracted._ "Well, let's just say, after you were taken back by Gai, things got a _little_ hectic."

"How hectic?"

No answer. I drummed my fingers on the sheets, but it was as though he hadn't heard me, which could very well be the case.

"Don't ignore me damn it!" I screamed, swiping the offensive book from his hand and holding it out of reach, "I asked you a question!"

Kakashi pouted, folding his arms, "I'm not gonna say anything until you give me the book back."

I narrowed my eyes, making a show of bending my fingers. A slight crunching sound made him look around desperately.

"Okay!" He sighed, "Hey! Be gentle with that! That's a special edition!" He caught my glare before shrugging, "Well. For one, the water freak and the curse seal dude took an _extremely _hard beating. Which landed them straight back into prison under three times the security they were in last time. The medics were to visit them inside their cell. I believe it was multiple bone fractures, first degree burns and a few other things."

"And the girl?" I asked, lowering the book slightly because of the pain in my stomach. I saw Kakashi eyeing the book carefully.

"She lost her hearing."

My eyes widened. Lost her hearing? But then again, I did practically shatter everything inside her ear. A twinge of guilt must have shown on my face because Kakashi ruffled my hair in consolation.

"Don't worry," he drawled, quickly reaching an arm out to grab the book, "You've just eliminated a threat to Konoha, it's gonna take her a while to regain her balance. As a result, Tsunade sealed off all of their chakra's. Temporarily."

I flinched. I knew how much chakra that would eat up. No doubt Tsunade-sensei is like the living dead right now. "What of the Uchiha's sentence?" I asked grudgingly. Why I suddenly had so much interest, I don't know.

"Naruto was always watched, he's still quite unstable with his power. But it's not much to fret over. Sasuke's sentence won't be extended in anyway; it might even be shortened considering that he attacked a former teammate in the mission. Aw, poor Sakura, you sound so worried."

"I'm not worried about Sasuke," I scoffed, "He could jump into a ditch for all I care."

"Is that so? Then why did you take the sword? You could have let it plunge right through him. " Kakashi clearly enjoying this. No doubt, he thought that I was smitten with the Uchiha again. I racked my brains for something to make him think otherwise.

"Well, it would have been a pain trying to heal him," I replied, easing myself back onto the bed, "The sooner he's out of my house, the better."

* * *

"Enter."

I pushed open the doors, Sasuke, Sai and Naruto trailing after me. To my surprise, Kakashi was already present. Tsunade nodded at us, then at the seats in front. Naruto and I exchanged glances, what was it this time?

Tsunade glared at us all as we sat down. "Kami I hate it when I have to call on you guys in particular," She grumbled, "Always means more paperwork, less parties, more overtime, less gambling. Shizune breathing down my neck every second. The only good part is the sake to cover the damn grief and stress."

"We feel stressed and full of grief looking at your face baa-chan. You always lose at gambling anyway cause you're so unlucky." Naruto grinned cheekily.

"You better hope I don't seal your mouth shut one day. I want you out of my office as soon as I can," her tone changed, "Unfortunately; we have some very serious matters to discuss. The missing nins that were retrieved," she said, picking up a thick report, "they were of course sent back to prison, courtesy of you five. However, extensive medical were carried out. There seems to be a sort of chemical in their bodies which not only triples their chakra, but also seems to give them high pain tolerance as well as fast recovery times."

She paused briefly. I remembered how Karin seemed to be unaffected by a direct hit to the face.

"A new drug. So, what, you want us to find a cure?" Naruto asked.

"No, I do not Uzumaki. If you cared to shut that mouth for even _five seconds_, you would know _exactly _what I wanted." Tsunade glared at the said person, "What I want is for you to eliminate the source."

"Why not just find you a sample? Less hassle." Sai interjected.

"Every time I have to speak to you people, I always get an annoyingly painful headache. So many _questions_." Tsunade grumbled, and then sighed, "A counter drug, what use would it be? We cannot waste time in battle to inject every member with a counter drug, and then continue to beat the daylights out of them. _That _would waste time. It would be easier to just take out the roots from the beginning."

"Well, do we know who's responsible?" I asked, trying to squash a bad feeling that was starting to rise.

"Yes. We do as a matter of fact. One of the missing ninja's spoke the name under interrogation. Kabuto."

It should have come as a shock. But somehow, all of us were rather expecting it. With such an advanced chemical on our hands, he seemed to be the prime suspect.

"I want you to track him down. This mission is hard. And we cannot risk a large group going out a once. Kabuto is very cautious, almost paranoid. He will proceed to give out as much of the drug as he can. And if they reach the hands of the _major _members of Akatsuki. Things will get extremely ugly. So, I have chosen two members from your cell to take part in this mission. Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura."

Great. All hail the bringer of the worst news in the century. I think in the future, I should keep away from these meetings as often as possible, since almost EVERYTIME I have entered this damn office, there's always been something thrown on me. The Uchiha comes in the package. No refunds. Cannot be returned.

"What?!" Naruto looked ready to leap out of his seat, "That is _so _unfair! Why not me? The teme is practically under house arrest!"

"Because Kabuto will definitely be looking for a useful subject who he can use to further his experiments! He is the perfect bait!" Tsunade snapped back, equally furious, "As a kyuubi container, sending you out there will end in a disaster! Akatsuki and other organisations will be involved and we cannot lose you. This mission will be discreet and as tactful as possible."

"Why Haruno?" The Uchiha spoke beside me, sending a course of anger down my spine, "Why not Uzumaki though? He is clearly strong enough, and Akatsuki will have no time to get involved if the job is completed quickly."

"The fight with Kabuto will be long and tiring. A medic is vital. Sakura is one of the best, unless you want to walk in there without comfort that someone might be able to bring you back to life from an inch within death." Tsunade pursed her lips, daring anyone else to comment.

"He might be hiding in a base." Naruto offered stubbornly, refusing to budge from his own argument, "You'll need more people if you want to infiltrate a base."

"Shut it Uzumaki," Tsunade glared, "Give me some credit. The ANBU have thoroughly scouted all the areas. Many of them have reported sightings of Kabuto in various villages. The times were sighted shows that Kabuto could not possibly have returned to a base and travel there straight after. No base will accept him."

I could only shake my head in disbelief. Why did she not send ANBU? Why _us?_ I voiced my questions.

"ANBU? Kabuto knows every single ANBU in the book. Plus, it's easier to provide a cover for two people. Any more complaints before I kick you all out of my office?"

Silence.

"I thought as much." Tsunade leaned back, "Furthermore, the time limit for the mission is one week. After that, the chemical has to be removed from Kabuto's system and cleansed. By then, there is no doubt that Kabuto will have found a way to improve the chemical. And there will be no chance to extract it then."

"What are we here for?" Kakashi asked lazily, Sai looked like he was going to fall asleep, "If this only included Sakura and Sasuke, what were we called for?"

"To know, that if anything should go wrong, you three will be immediately called – regardless of what you're doing to provide reinforcements. In those situations, brute force can be used." She turned, "Sakura, make sure the Uchiha doesn't do anything stupid. Uchiha, you have to know we are trusting you big on this one. If you screw this up, I won't be able to protect you from anyone. But then again, most likely you'll be dead."

Such a pleasant thought, I'm a babysitter even on a mission. I nodded to Tsunade, who was still using her serious face. But as soon as the door shut I could hear her yelling at Shizune.

"Shizune! Give me some sake!"

"Hell no! Finish your paperwork first!"

"Damn it! Give me the key to my sake cabinet!!"

Shizune yelled back more profanities. Some things just never change.

* * *

"Well, good luck Sakura-chan," Naruto grinned, giving me an enthusiastic hug, "If Uchiha says anything you don't like, does anything you don't like, I'll personally tear him into little bits for you."

"Thanks Naruto." I laughed, glancing at the brooding Uchiha, "But why don't you do it now? Saves you the trouble later."

"Yeah, I really want to go," Naruto grumbled, before brightening up, "But guess what? I HAVE A DATE!!"

My eyes widened. There was someone who wanted to date this ramen crazy person? I tried to keep my voice level and not too excited, "So, who is it?"

"Hinata-chan!" He grinned, but looking a bit _shy_. I almost clapped with delight, thumping him on the back enthusiastically, feeling my face stretch to impossible limits as I grinned.

"Took you long enough!" I beamed, taking in his confused look, "Oh come on Naruto-kun, don't tell me that you actually haven't noticed all these years?"

He looked even more confused. I shook my head, amazed once again at Naruto's utter ignorance. Uchiha made an impatient sound, I turned to glare. Giving Naruto one final farewell hug, I followed Sasuke into the forests.

* * *

By the time we reached the town, it was just before sunset. Sasuke and I were disguised painfully as a newly wed couple. I swear that Tsunade sensei gets her kicks out of watching me twitch with embarrassment. Maybe it's her subtle way of telling me that I can actually beat some sense into the Uchiha? I might never know.

No one in the council knew we were here. It was too risky. Our cover story was an A rank mission recorded on the confidential record scrolls which we were sure Kabuto had access to. If we brought back nothing from this mission, Tsunade would be in a lot of trouble.

"Yes, we're new here," I smiled sweetly at the receptionist, trying to keep the brown strands of hair out of my face and awkwardly linking an arm through Sasuke's. The receptionist tried to take her eyes off my 'husband'.

"One room?"

I glanced at Sasuke. He hadn't bothered to disguise much. His features remained the same, just with a difference of reddish, sandy hair. He regrettably, still looked rather attractive. I looked at the doting receptionist, who was sure taking her time fishing out the keys.

She 'accidentally' brushed his hand while handing him the keys and fluttered her eyelashes at him. I almost laughed out loud. The Uchiha looked like he wanted to go disinfect the hand immediately.

"Between you and me," I leaned in, putting my elbows on the table in front, making her jump with surprise, "he's not your type."

She gave me an annoyed look, as if measuring up how to 'break us up'. Sasuke turned his focus to me. Oh, this was going to be good. I started twirling the key around my finger, smiling. If Naruto was here, he would have loved this.

"You see, he's not my type either. I was forced into this marriage in order to pay for my family's debts. But, no one ever told me that he wasn't into girls at _all_."

Her eyes widened, flickering towards Sasuke who had frozen with shock. "You mean?"

I nodded gleefully, yet tried to remain sombre. The girl looked extremely panicked now, staring at Sasuke with a wide open mouth. I had to work really hard to not laugh.

A hand grabbed me roughly around the arm, "Forgive her," Sasuke said smoothly, "She's had a little too much to drink. Leaving her hometown was hard on her."

And rapidly whisked me away to our room. As soon as the door closed, he turned to glare at me. I released my Henge jutsu and pretended not to notice.

"Why did you do that?" He growled. Since Tsunade and no one else were here, I decided it was the best time to give him a piece of my mind.

"I am sick of you trying to keep up your little image and worm your way back into Konoha." I was seriously tired of it. And now, I felt everything just spilling out. "I bet you were surprised weren't you? You thought I was really going to forget and forgive everything that you did in those years and become lovesick Sakura all over again." I stared right into his orbs, in a completely different way than how I would have done four years ago, "But you're wrong. I can never forgive or forget what you did."

He blinked once before turning away. I resumed packing my clothes.

"If we want to complete this mission, we have to work together. We're a team."

"I don't think you are in _any _place to tell me that!" I retorted, "I think that you need to know where you belong once and for all, Uchiha."

* * *

Night fell. The sky wasn't as beautiful as it was in Konoha, but it was still nice to look at. After our little 'conversation', Sasuke had said nothing.

He sat on the bed quietly, and I had the urge to kick him straight off and throw him out the window. We hadn't even discussed the sleeping arrangements, and I didn't want to talk to him at _all_.

But I couldn't fall asleep.

"I couldn't do anything."

I blinked, turning over to face Uchiha's back. "What?"

"I couldn't do anything." He repeated, his voice a little muffled, "Orochimaru had complete control of my curse seal and my mind then. It took me almost a year to break through mentally."

"Don't make excuses." I snapped, turning back.

"I'm not. I am merely clearing up a misunderstanding."

I didn't answer after that. But I didn't know what to do with his answer either.

* * *

"This is useless!" I slumped after our three hours of scouting. "We'll never find him!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but remained quiet. I could have just knelt and wilted and he wouldn't have cared. An ink bird floated out of the clouds and landed on my shoulder.

"Ugly. Ugly." It squawked, before disintegrating into a single strip of paper. Damn it Sai, but on the contrary, I couldn't help but smile.

* * *

"_An ANBU has spotted Kabuto heading towards the borderline of Mist." _

**

* * *

**

I gave an alarmed look to the Uchiha, who returned it. Immediately, we grabbed all items which may prove to be useful and took off. The Mist was about ten minutes off. If we didn't run fast enough, we wouldn't make it.

It was annoying, trying to keep my face still so the headband wouldn't fly off. Uchiha was calmly jogging alongside, looking as though it was no trouble at all. I gritted my teeth while trying to increase my speed. A small amount of chakra leaked into my eyes, around ten miles, straight ahead. Kabuto waited patiently beside a lone tree. This was the first time that he had been spotted, even though Sasuke and I had scouted the area for three days. Time was already running out. I was about to charge forward and give him a knock he would remember for the next three _years_. Sasuke immediately stopped me.

"No, it's too dangerous," he said, pulling me behind a conveniently massive rock – isn't it strange how some things are just _there _when you need them? Kind of freaky. – "We can handle Kabuto, but he is most likely here to meet someone, who we don't know anything about. He could be high on the drug, or an ANBU person. We cannot jump into a fight without knowing our opponents."

I hated it when he was right. I glanced past the rock, a Mist shinobi had just arrived. A male, with a large shadow shruiken strapped to his back, he definitely looked like he had had the drug before. I bet he was basking in his huge ego right now, being that if I had really charged ahead, I would be mince meat. I leaned into the rock, keeping myself hidden. It would be too risky at this point to stick my head out.

"Have you got what I asked for?" It was a gravelly voice, deep but with a dangerous edge. I wondered who this man really was.

"Yes, but I cannot extract it right now. My body has taken a toll over the last few days. Tomorrow night, meet me in the Sparrow's Nest restaurant, table four. I will give it to you then." It was Kabuto. There was a short moment of silence as the person pondered on the suggestion.

"You had better not make me wait."A disturbance in the wind, and he was gone.

I exchanged glances with Sasuke. We both shot out from behind the rock, but no one was left. After a quick eye scan over the area, the place was confirmed to be completely deserted. It took every ounce of my will to not swear. But I did smash the rock and kind of destroyed the whole area – you know, just for the heck of it.

* * *

"You're rampage was unnecessary." Uchiha said at dinner, "It could raise suspicions in Kabuto."

"Maybe it could serve as a _warning _to Kabuto." I fumed, stabbing my pork, Uchiha shook his head.

"Your temper is very similar to Tsunade's." He noted.

"Congratulations on noticing," I said acidly, "Anything else you might want to add?"

"No."

The dinner continued quietly for a minute. I mulled over our situation.

"It seems that Kabuto has not yet given the drug to any Akatsuki. He may want to test it out first before selling it to such a dangerous organisation. Who would probably kill him if anything wrong happened."

"Hn." He stared at his plate distastefully, only eating the tomato part. I found it strange how he had ordered a _salad _for _dinner_. No wonder he was so thin, what a waste of high metabolism.

"He said 'extract'." I realised with a shock, "And that his body was taking a toll. Does that mean the drug is stored in his body?"

Uchiha looked up from his meal for a second. "Is that possible?"

"Yes. But highly dangerous. Too much energy in one place. This man is crazy."

"Does that mean that he can draw on it when he wishes to?"

"He doesn't have to wish. It is already planted within him. I think we should call for reinforcements." I said, pushing around the remainders on my plate, "It's too dangerous. With the added risk of Kabuto, the Mist shinobi may also bring more people."

"We do not need reinforcements; we can handle this on our own."

I threw my fork onto the table, causing a large clatter, "Damn it Uchiha," I glared, ignoring looks from neighbouring tables, "Won't you just swallow your damn pride for just this once?! Or maybe our lives aren't worth keeping your ego in tact?"

All of a sudden, I felt myself turn red. I narrowed my eyes more, meeting his unemotional onyx ones.

"Aa."

I could have put the knife through his eye, I swear. But I doubt Tsunade put the medic on the team to _kill _her own teammate. I stood and left the restaurant in a huff. When I arrived in my room, I waited for Sai's ink bird to appear for its daily report. It came after about ten minutes, forming a blank scroll. I quickly wrote down the events and what would occur tomorrow. In big letters, I added that we would need reinforcements for tomorrow.

The bird squawked, "Ugly." One more time before flying off. I lay down on the bed, wrapped myself up in the blankets and turned out the light, not noticing the Uchiha walk in later at night.

* * *

"I see them." I said out of the corner of my mouth to the Uchiha. He nodded. We were both back into our Henge no Jutsu, just like usual. The waiter came up.

"Honey, what would you like?" I managed to choke out with a sweet smile. The waiter nodded, scribbling rapidly as Sasuke rambled off.

"Why aren't reinforcements here yet?" I hissed once the waiter was out of sight.

"This place is far from Konoha. No doubt the ink bird took hours to reach them as well." He showed no change of emotion. I flicked my eyes around the almost deserted restaurant. Apart from us, the staff and Kabuto and co, only three people were present. It was almost the perfect site. The restaurant itself was extremely spacious and dimly lit, making faces hard to see.

"What's he doing?" Sasuke asked quietly, holding my hand to give the illusion of a couple 'sweet talking'.

I smiled and fluttered my eyelashes, eyes quickly darting over for a look. "It's not good." I looked back at him, trying to keep the stupid grin on my face, "He's handing him the drug. We have to act –"

A shruiken whistled past and buried itself into the side of our table, cutting my sentence off. In a flash, I felt the cold steel of a kunai pressed to my throat.

"Now, now," Kabuto smiled, his hands clenching the kunai tighter, "Haruno Sakura, is it not?"

I tried for the stuttering act, "W-What are you talking about?" I shrieked, "He's got a weapon! H-Help!"

"Don't even attempt it." The mist shinobi grinned, "I can see right through your disguise."

Sasuke released the jutsu, looking all tense and ready to battle. I sighed, releasing my own. Kabuto's grin stretched even more. He must look like the Cheshire cat by now. "Uchiha Sasuke. What a prize to have the two of you here tonight. I am flattered that you would go through so much trouble."

It was then I felt something strange in my body. An ebbing feeling. He was absorbing my chakra! I squirmed and lashed out, trying to get away. The other guests and staff had left, screaming blue murder.

"I see you've discovered me Haruno." Kabuto shrugged, "Yes, your chakra will be depleted in a matter of seconds."

Time for another dirty girl tactic. I 'fainted'. You know, making the body limp and all that. Then, in a quick and definitely practiced movement, I kicked him in the guts. Well. Slightly lower than that, you know, the place where no man is immune. As his eyes widened, I managed to twist his arm and grab the kunai. Kabuto disappeared in a poof of smoke. Crap. It was a bunshin. Uchiha immediately turned on the Mist shinobi, executing a quick Katon Goukakyuu no Jutsu. The flames enveloped the Mist shinobi and incinerated everything in its path. But when the smoke cleared, the shinobi was standing upright. A slight burn mark, but nothing which would slow him down.

Kabuto stepped forward from the shadows, shaking his head.

"Dear Sakura, what a filthy move to use. Un-ninja like." He sighed.

"You're one to talk." I snarled back, flinging as many shruiken as I could at him. Effortlessly, he dodged them all. In a second, he was literally at my face, throwing punches and kicks at an impossible speed. I had to remind myself that even one of those movements would knock me out, if not kill me. The many years of training with Neji and his Gentle Fist techniques saved me. I managed to dodge quite a few. As a mistake, I tried to block one, but my own strength without chakra was was not strong enough to match his attack. I was flung back, hitting a glass cabinet in the corner. _Ouch_. It hurt like a bitch.

I painfully got up, and prepared myself to launch another attack. A mist slowly drifted around me, before making it difficult to see anything. The Mist shinobi had executed a Kirigakure no Jutsu. Covering the entire area with mist. A kunai pierced my thigh, I charged towards that direction, only to find nothing there. Instinctively backing up, I bumped backs with someone. Almost whooping at my luck, I turned and placed a kunai at the said persons neck. Victory! I almost squealed.

"Other target, Haruno."

Damn it all. It was the Uchiha. What a mood killer.

"Focus on their chakra." And then he had jumped off to Kami knows where. I closed my eyes, a large chakra form was at the side of the room. Darting quickly around the room and throwing kunai. That must be Kabuto. Sasuke was in combat with the other shinobi. I had to time this correctly. A shuriken dug into my arm. Chakra into my feet and I was off. I finally found Kabuto.

"Aah, so you've found my hiding place after all."

I charged forward, only to narrowly avoid crashing into a dinner table. I noticed a shruiken, raising an arm, I batted it away. I almost smiled. I had noticed when I threw the shuriken, that Kabuto tended to avoid weapons by moving towards the left. I threw a kunai, watching him move just as expected. Then, using a chakra-full arm, I smashed it into his stomach. A splatter of blood landed on my face. The mist didn't seem as strong as before, meaning the Uchiha was also giving a fair fight.

"You bitch." The glasses on Kabuto were cracked, blood dripping down his face and out of his mouth. I reached in, to shatter the insides of his ear, as I had done with Karin. His hand stopped mine, fingers closing around my wrist before bending it back. I was suddenly seeing stars, I hurriedly sent chakra to repair the broken wrist. The rough healing was just as painful. I gritted my teeth. No way. I had fainted enough over the past month for a _lifetime_. I kicked Kabuto as hard as I could in the jaw, listening the sickening crack fill the room. I made the hand signs for a few bunshins to appear. One went towards Kabuto who was trying to click his jaw back in place and fend off the bunshin at the same time. I leapt onto him, tapping a small stream of chakra into his mind through the ear. He knelt down, eyes widened, trying to expel the headache. In a flick, I increased the chakra flow, making him drop to a dead faint. Eat that. I was just about ready to pat myself on the back, then the mist thickened. I looked around. The Uchiha was making his way to my side, meaning his opponent was either dead, or in a world of pain.

An explosion hit one of the walls, immediately causing it to crumble. There was a large group of Mist shinobis, about ten or eleven, glaring at Sasuke and me. Big and bulky. This was _not _my day. Really.

"Shit." I muttered. There was no way we were gonna make it out of this alive with these drug loaded shinobis.

One of them wielded a large scythe, a feral smile on his face. There was something amiss about these men. I kicked out, a hand grabbed my leg at breakneck speed and threw me back onto the ground. The impact left me lying there for a couple of seconds trying to compute what the hell had just happened. The man with the scythe mercilessly rammed the blunt end into my stomach, I spat out blood, feeling as though he had stabbed the thing right through my stomach to my spine. The Uchiha was faring no better, he had the starting signs of a black eye and a swollen cheek. There was no denying we were both depleted of chakra from our previous match.

A large wind filled the room, blowing away the mist, causing the Mist shinobi to turn.

"Now _this _is what a call a party."

"Shut it Kankuro. You just like to hear yourself talk." The large fan was swung back, Temari grinned at us, ignoring the curses of the Mist shinobis beside us.

"Geez, you two are a bloody mess."

* * *

**~NeXt uP: ChApTeR 8: ThE UnfOrGeTtAbLe NiGhTmArE~**

**

* * *

**

**Phew! As fun as that was to write, it took me a long time ==. I actually finished a couple of days ago, but then I started mulling over the 'plot' which was utterly lost. So, I decided to tweak the chapter a little which caused yet _more _headache and sighs. I hope it was gud enough xD. **

**For once, I actually have a little of the next chapter written up -- Yayness! LOL. **

**Looking forward to your reviews as always -- criticism and compliments all welcome！**

**~CaNdY~**


	8. The Proposal

****

BONJOUR!!!! Finally, the next chapter is up! Apologies to all as I had to change the chapter name … I write what I think at the spur of the moment — there is little to no planning involved. So, uh, the previous name didn't match a lot of the story . Yeah. Quite disorganised //winces//

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!!! Always the highlight of my day! Ha, when I read fanfictions before, I admired those who managed to get so many reviews … although I know that my writing isn't as brilliant as theirs, I'll try! –unfortunately, my best is the best I can offer right now //shifty eyes// hehe. Also, cause getting reviews is like eating chocolate //mwahahahaha//**

**ANYWAY! CHAPTER EIGHT COMMENCE!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto //how many more times do I have to tell you?? :S// ... and I also ran out of junk food. //cries// **

* * *

**~ChApTeR 8: ThE PrOpOsAL~**

* * *

I think I have never felt more relieved in my life.

"So. What's with these guys?" Temari frowned, pulling a face at the Mist shinobi. One of them lunged for her; she used her fan to bat him away with a strong wind. The man was pushed back about five centimetres. Her eyes widened, before looking quizzically at her fan.

"Weird." She muttered, "Hey Kankuro!"

"Yeah, what?" He asked, looking slightly annoyed, trying to keep up with the three Mist shinobi who had leaped onto him.

Temari swung her fan, using the exact force that she had previously used. Kankuro was slammed hard into the nearby wall, while the men surrounding him almost had no reaction.

"What the hell lady?" Kankuro screamed, standing back up, "You're bloody attacking the wrong person! Are you _blind_?!"

Temari looked at her fan again, completely ignoring Kankuro's rants. "Wow, this is some opposition."

All of a sudden, the restaurant faded away. Plain land surrounded by towering cliffs surrounded us instead.

"Genjutsu?" I muttered disbelievingly, how could we miss it?

The men were occupied now. They had gone after the 'fresh bait', rather than deal with the people who were weak and depleted in chakra. I quietly crawled over to the Uchiha, and healed his major injuries, before working on my own. He started to move towards to battle again, but I pulled him back.

"You're too low on chakra. What help could you possibly give?" I hissed quietly. He turned to look at me stubbornly.

"What else could we do?" He asked bluntly.

I rummaged through the pouch on my belt and brought out two objects to show him.

"Soldier pills?" He raised an eyebrow, rolling it around in his hand. "Where did you get these from?"

Sasuke looked at me briefly before swallowing the pills. Soldier pills have been banned. Most shinobi's overdose on particularly tiring missions, causing either sudden lack of chakra, or too much for the body to handle. As a result, Tsunade's stopped stores from supplying them until we all learn some 'discipline'. I had 'borrowed' these from the medical storage. But, you know, I'll return them. Someday.

I swallowed my own pills, feeling an insanely large burst of chakra flare up in me; the Uchiha had left to join in already, easily matching the strength of four shinobi. I glanced at the still unconscious Kabuto, who was propped up by the mountain. I needed to get there and extract the remaining chemicals from his body. If he awoke, things could get very ugly. Gritting my teeth, I tried quietly crawling over to the body, out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man with a scythe grin.

Using my palm to push and twist myself into the air, I narrowly evaded a torrent of weapons. Bringing out a chakra enforced kunai, I parried off the blows of the scythe. The Mist ninja seemed to grow more and more savage as each blow was deflected. There was no doubt he was enjoying this little fight. Reminding myself to grip the kunai firm, I leapt forward, feeling the scythe scratch my upper arm. Ignoring the sting, I slashed the kunai at his chest, creating a deep gash. The Mist ninja stumbled and coughed out a little blood. Then, right before my eyes, the wound started closing up. The skin around the gash tried to join together with the skin on the other end, once they met; it was as if someone had knitted it back together. The torn clothing was the only evidence left that I _had _hurt him.

"Regeneration?" I breathed, trying to make sense of what I just saw, "That's — impossible."

The Mist looked down with a surprised look before giving a shrug, "Nothin's impossible littl' miss," he drawled, "The drug does us a whole lot more good than it does ya."

I shook my head in disbelief. There must be a weak spot. The shinobi launched at me again, I dodged and blocked his attacks as before.

The wound on his chest was pretty deep, yet it healed so quickly. My eyes followed the movements of the shinobi — flawless, no sign of any injury. Maybe I should try again. With another burst of speed, I lunged in and stabbed the kunai blindly. It had buried itself into the skin above the stomach. I jumped back, withdrawing the kunai from the flesh. The man gasped for air, this time, the skin took a lot longer to regenerate, but it did in the end, merging the skin back together. But this time, it left a small slit, where the blood continued to flow.

"Ya bitch." He coughed, a different light flooding into his eyes, "I'm goin' to kill ya."

Now, where have I heard that before? I grinned, taking him by surprise. "I'll send you crying back to your mama."

His secret was exposed. As the shinobi attacked once again, it was plain to see. Before, I had focused too much on the drug inside him and how to combat _that_, but what I should have really looked at was the skill of the man himself. This man was clearly an amateur. A recently promoted chuunin at the most. His attacks were clumsy and lacking strategy and his footwork was inadequate. He falters when hit for longer than one second and a half, a mistake in battle. He relies on his brute strength to get him through. The drug can only regenerate skin perfectly when an internal organ has not been hit. The fastest way would be to go for the heart or the throat.

I feinted, catching him by surprise again, and in a single swipe, cut the windpipes in his throat. He fell, and as expected, did not get up.

"How'd you do that?" Kankuro shouted from across the room, "How the hell do they keep healing?!"

"The throat and the heart," I called back, making my way to Kabuto who showed no sign of waking up, "They'll be dead before the regeneration starts."

By now, the shinobis had become more desperate in their movements, but now that their weakness was uncovered and their attacks were easily parried.

I reached out a steady hand to Kabuto, coaxing the chakra from my fingertips to flow into his body and pull out the stored chemicals. It was harder than I thought, the chemicals were half dissolved in almost all of his biggest blood cell making areas, no doubt as a reaction from foreign chakra entering his body. It was extremely clever, but foolhardy. I ended up having to let go of more chakra, scouting his bloodstream to pick up every drop of the chemical in his body.

"Sakura."

My fingers twitched a little from surprise, before I willed the chakra to maintain the steady flow.

"I'm almost done." I grunted, beads of sweat sliding down my face as I tried to chase down the little left over.

"Stop it." His cold voice made me feel irritated, "You'll overdo it."

I didn't answer him, finally grasping the last drops of the chemical and pulling it out of Kabuto's pores. I placed it into a container with the others, executed a sealing jutsu and slapped the transportation. It should be travelling comfily to the Hokage Tower. I glanced at the unconscious Kabuto. He was too much of a threat to be left alive. I used my last drops of chakra to damage particular nerves in his brain. He'll never wake up.

As it turns out that the damn Uchiha was right about me overdoing it. I couldn't even walk in a straight line after that, and humiliatingly had to be propped up by the Uchiha who had sent out the message for ANBU to come and collect the bodies.

"Don't tell me 'I told you so'," I grumbled, "I _know _you told me so, so don't tell me again!"

"Hn."

* * *

"That's it," Kankuro stretched, "Konoha gates. We're gonna get going now, our bro gets a little impatient." He raised a suggestive eyebrow at Temari, "Also, her boyfriend always seems to worry about her. Dunno how she _got _a boyfriend in the first place!"

I felt my eyes widen, "Boyfriend? In Sand?"

"Yeah." Temari smirked, a slight blush evident her cheeks, "He gets a little protective."

"He's the only one Gaara hasn't killed, maimed, or faked an accident for." Kankuro grinned, ignoring Temari's glare.

I was speechless. I felt so happy for Temari I could have cried … okay, that's going a _little _far. I could have _almost _cried. But more so, I felt relieved for Ino. At least now, she'll know for sure Shikamaru is still — undoubtedly — single.

I let go of Uchiha briefly to give Kankuro and Temari a hug, "Thanks you guys, we would have been skewered back there."

Even Uchiha gave what seemed like a grateful nod to them. After a few minutes, they left Uchiha and I to make our slow and for me, painful, walk back to Konoha.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, waving furiously, a bright orange dot in a sea of green. "You're back!!"

"Baka." I chided lightly, "Of course I am."

Naruto's grin dulled as his eyes flickered between me and my living armrest, his voice took a dangerous tone, "Teme, what the hell are you doing touching Sakura-chan?"

"She can't walk by herself dobe, used up all her chakra." The 'teme' replied sullenly, walking past Naruto, easily carrying my weight.

Naruto hurriedly rushed to my side, "Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed, "Don't let the teme put his filthy hands on you! I'll carry you!"

I smacked away his hand, "Idiot, what if Hinata-chan sees? Unforgivable crime!"

Naruto immediately straightened, blushing crimson, "Aha," he grinned sheepishly, "Right. Um, baa-chan wants to see you guys in her office."

I groaned. No way.

* * *

"The mission was a success." I reported, trying to sound _not _nervous. I squirmed in my seat after quickly glancing at the Uchiha. He seemed perfectly fine. How is it that he didn't seem affected by anything?! Even this room, where Tsunade just spouts bad news like the Oracle spouts prophecies.

"Yes, so I have seen." Tsunade folded her arms on her desk.

Kakashi continued to flick through his porn, Sai seemed to be doodling, and Naruto was making it as obvious as he could that he wasn't listening by stuffing his fingers into his ears. Tsunade's brow twitched.

"How did the tests go?" I asked hurriedly, trying to divert her attention.

"The tests went fine. The results are very worrying." Tsunade pursed her lips together.

"Why are we here again?!" Naruto asked, "This mission brief only needs Sakura-chan and tem -- uh, Sasuke."

"Yes, but I know that after I tell Uchiha and Haruno the results, they will tell you. You will bombard them with questions which will get so annoying they will just ignore. And then, you'll storm into my house at one in the morning demanding a full explanation, which will be followed my me beating you half to death making it difficult for me to find appropriate _full _teams to complete a high rank mission."

Naruto blinked, "That sounds really realistic baa-chan, you have a good imagination."

Kakashi shook his head, smiling. Sai looked up briefly and smiled that fake smile, "Oh, that's not made up. You've done it five times already dickless, remember?"

Unlike Naruto, Sai didn't care about his vocabulary in front of the Hokage.

"Why you – _how many times did have I told you not to call me that?!" _

Tsunade glared at them both until they shut up.

"Did ANBU find Kabuto's body?" Sasuke asked. I turned to look at sensei as well, I had forgotten all about Kabuto.

"Yes." She replied, "But I also received subtle complaints about the mess which was left behind. Lots of extremely beaten Mist shinobi plus a Kabuto with broken bones. I thought the objective of sending only two people was to be _discreet_. Would you two care to explain yourselves?"

"Discreet failed." The Uchiha said bluntly, "So, we turned to violence."

"Uh, about the test results?" I cut in before Tsunade could open her mouth to retaliate. The consequences? I didn't even want to think about it.

"Ah, yes. The chemicals. After approximately four days, they split themselves and are absorbed into all the organs in the body. It is impossible to remove."

"What are you trying to say?" Kakashi even put down his Icha Icha Paradise book, looking a little shocked, "Are you saying that these effects are permanent?"

"Yes." Tsunade took a long swig of her sake, "But, luckily, it seems as though the drug will not be getting anywhere anytime soon. But anyway," she waved a lazy hand, "the results for that aren't so important. The issue has been resolved, surprisingly fast I might add. I am very impressed. And so was the Council. So much in fact, that they overlooked me not telling them about the mission.

"They have loosened your sentence once more Uchiha," she continued, "ANBU will no longer supervise you and they are willing to take the risk of withdrawing Haruno's supervision. However, you are still required to stay at her house for the time being. You are not to step into the Uchiha compound or attend any clan meetings."

I didn't bother trying to hide my smile. This was _perfect_. One more major mission for the Uchiha and he'll be _out _of my house.

Tsunade took one more sip of her sake, "There is also one more thing I want to talk about."

I winced. Oh geez, here comes another massive bomb.

"It's about the upcoming Jounin exams." She said slowly. I felt myself silently exhale, this shouldn't be so bad.

"They will proceed in a month."

Okay. That was _very _bad news, at least for Sasuke and I who had missed out on a whole week of training. I bit my lip. Actually, Sasuke's level could be counted for as Jounin already, he will pass the test. But me? I was still not quite confident in my abilities.

I clenched my fists, once again, it seemed as though once again, I was the only one in the team who was lagging behind.

* * *

Sending wave after wave of chakra, I kicked and tore down all the trees in my path. Panting slightly, I bent the trunk of one tree until it snapped. Chakra manipulation and medical skills is all I have. It had better be enough to get me through the exam.

Plastering a kunai seal on the trunk of an undamaged tree, I stood fifty metres in front of it, ready to begin my sound training. The last time I had attempted this with Karin, I had failed utterly. Bad timing and my arrogance had let me down. I inhaled the cool nightly air, before throwing a shruiken onto the seal. A volley of kunai was flung in my direction. Instead of clapping my hands, I hummed a note, trying to push the sound waves forward to deflect the incoming weapons. Once again, my timing was off. I managed to ward away a few of the kunai. The rest cut and scratched at my skin, drawing drops of blood. Two even buried themselves into my flesh. I stuck another seal onto the tree, not bothering to pull out the two kunai.

For the next three hours, I trained until I practically had to crawl my way back home. I had managed two lucky successes, where all kunai had been deflected. But the rest? Well, let's just say that I would scare the heck out of any kid who manages to see me. A gory girl with about ten kunais stuck in various places of her body stumbling around past midnight would be enough to give _me _nightmares. The smartest idea would be to heal those wounds; unfortunately, I wasn't a very smart kunoichi and had used up all my chakra in training.

I inserted the lock into my door wearily, convincing my bones to carry on for just a little longer. When, I finally turned on the dim lights, I found the Uchiha sitting on the staircase. Concealing my surprise, I clumsily walked past him, determined on getting to my room. His hand reached out and latched itself onto my arm … right on top of a blossoming bruise. Ouch.

"What happened to you?" He hissed, eyes narrowed as he looked at the bruises, and then at the kunais sticking out of me. He actually looked a little _guilty_.

"Nothing, a little training." I managed to splutter out. My head felt oddly light, I reached a hand out onto the wall to steady myself. Drawing myself straighter, after my vision cleared, I said in a prouder tone, "Hands off Uchiha, I want to go to bed."

He practically dragged me up the stairs into the bathroom, closing the door. "Wash yourself up." He called through the door. I grabbed the door handle and tried to open it. Resistance met.

"I'll let you out when you've stopped yourself from bleeding."

I fumed. I didn't need _him _to tell me that. I didn't have to explain anything to him, let alone stand to have him giving me _orders_. I grabbing a towel and dipped it in warm water. After I had pulled out the kunais — extremely painful stuff, I recommend you to steer clear of it if you can — and mopped up all the blood as well as taken a shower, I tucked the kunai into my weapons pouch and gathered up all my clothes. The large chakra signal coming from my door showed that the Uchiha was still there. I knocked angrily, waiting for him to move and let me out. When no response came, I forcefully pushed the door open.

To my surprise, it moved quite easily. Slumped at my feet, was Sasuke. For a second, I was alert. Surely someone had crept into the house and somehow knocked him out. But when no chakra or movement was detected, I found that the Uchiha was merely sleeping. Slightly embarrassed, I eased myself out of the doorway. I was about to set off towards my room when I mistakenly took a backwards glance at the Uchiha. The little piece of fan girl in me protested profusely, demanding that turn back. Despite fighting the urge frantically, I found myself kneeling in front of the Uchiha, peering into his face. A couple of years ago, this would have been the highlight of my life. Truth be told, if he hadn't left for Sound, and I found myself in this position later on. There is a high chance I would have done something highly indecent. But now, he looked … exactly the same. No peaceful look, no dreamy look. He just looked expressionless as always. I stood, pushing down the twinge of disappointment.

A thought suddenly hit me. Sasuke had probably been waiting for me to come home, thus why he was so tired all of a sudden. I looked down on his sleeping figure. The position he was in looked rather uncomfortable. I sighed, throwing the pouch and my clothes into my room and walking back to the Uchiha.

"Touching." I muttered to his face, comforted by the fact that he couldn't hear me. It would be pretty hard to explain why I was leaning so close. "But I'm not fooled."

Hence the reason why I just left him there, in the cold … without a blanket. I admit the guilt ate me up a little; I covered him with a blanket. But you couldn't count that as an act of kindness. I was hoping the blanket would come alive and eat him.

* * *

The next morning when I got up, I headed straight for the bathroom. The Uchiha was still leaning on it, in the exact same position I had left him yesterday night, I purposely walked over to the door and closed it with a loud bang. The loud noise would be ringing in the Uchiha's ears for the rest of the day. He shot straight up, blinking furiously. He looked stiff. Even the mighty Uchiha isn't immune to a strained neck. He wordlessly stood up, discarding the blanket and went into the bathroom, but not before giving me a glare. I flexed my muscles and poked my tongue out at him. I had healed most of my injuries this morning. I snickered lightly, making my way downstairs.

"I'm going." I called to him, leaving without waiting for a reply.

"He's not?" Ino asked in disbelief, eyes brightening, "He's not dating Temari?"

"Definitely not." I grinned, "She's going out with some guy in Sand."

Ino looked away thoughtfully, tapping a finger on her chin. "I shouldn't be pleased about this," She admitted sheepishly, "But I am."

She plopped herself onto the bed, patting the space beside her, "So, Forehead, what have you been up to lately?"

"Nothing much." I recounted most of the events that had occurred, including yesterday night's little scene. Ino ended up smiling devilishly, making me wish that I had kept my mouth shut in the end.

"He likes you, you dense little girl," She giggled, "Are you too dumb to see that?"

I waved it off, "Don't even _think _about going into that area. You should know the Uchiha isn't capable of such feelings."

Ino smiled again, "Ah, but it seems as though your relationship has been getting better. You even _told _him that you were going before you left. Doesn't that seem like something a wife would do?"

Note to self, turn back into former Sakura. Cool and collected. Also, stop poking tongues out at Uchihas.

I rolled my eyes, "He said, "I'm looking for a _candidate_." Not a _partner_. Love means squat to him. All he wants is some perfect little miss who can provide him with perfect little genes so they can have a perfect little baby."

"And you wouldn't mind if this 'perfect little miss' isn't you?" Ino asked incredulously, looking at me carefully for my reaction.

I couldn't help but faltered a little before lifting my chin up, "I would _love _it if it weren't me." I declared.

Ino shook her head, "Well. If you can't trust, you can't trust." She pushed herself off the bed and walked to her closet. After a while of rummaging, she brought out a beautiful baby blue kimono. The kimono had dark blue roses creeping up at the bottom, and a sky blue butterfly bow at the back, the cloth was a very cool silk giving the kimono a glowing aura.

"It's beautiful." I breathed. Ino marvelled at it as well, holding it on top of her body. The colour brought out her eyes perfectly. "Shikamaru's going to be tripping over himself when he sees you in that."

"Of course he is!" She replied haughtily, "I'm going to wear it at the Spring Festival."

I stopped dead, "The Spring Festival?"

The Spring Festival had completely slipped from my mind. A _date _for the Spring Festival. I almost laughed out loud. I remembered the time when Naruto had offered.

"Yes. The Spring Festival. You know, the one in three days?" Ino asked, hanging the kimono up gently, "What's up Forehead? You look like you're actually thinking about something for a change."

I shrugged, letting the light insult slide, "Nothing."

"Yeah, well." Ino straightened out her blonde hair, "I need to go, like, now. I have lunch with Shika and Chouji. Oh, and after the Spring Festival, I have a mission somewhere in Sand. I'll be leaving dawn the next day."

I smiled, "Ah well, we'll see each other at the festival. Thanks for the advice."

Ino snorted as she pushed me towards the door, "Advice? Forehead, once you get over your denial and start accepting his love _then _we'll talk about advice."

Before I could rebut, she had closed the door in my face. I sighed before turning away. Time to get to the practice meeting area.

* * *

"Hey Ugly. About time you got here." Sai lifted a familiar bird out of his scroll, "Thought you got lost. I was just about to send someone to go find you."

"No need." I said hastily, checking all my weaponry, "Don't you dare send that damn bird my way. I will tear it to bits."

Sai shrugged, putting the bird back into the scroll. Naruto and Sasuke were already duelling ferociously, sounds of metals clashing echoing through the whole area.

After a while, Kakashi appeared, late as always. Naruto paused the spar to glare at him.

"Uh, well." Kakashi cleared his throat, "I was out doing one of my random acts of kindnesses."

I tapped my foot, "Which is?"

Kakashi stroked his chin thoughtfully, "I … helped an old lady get her cat down the tree?"

Naruto threw a kunai at him, "You're running out of excuses sensei. You've already used that one so many times."

"I know," Kakashi complained, "But must I explain myself _every single time?_" He sighed, before looking around the court, "Hey, what happened to _this _place?"

I looked around. The trees had numerous kunai embedded into the trunks, as well as many sticking out of the ground. Tattered kunai seals lay strewn everywhere. I swallowed; I had forgotten to clean up yesterday. I saw the Uchiha looking at me. No doubt he was already piecing the bits together.

"Sensei," Naruto scowled, "Why did ya make us meet here? This is _way _out of our normal practice areas."

"Ah, well." Kakashi sighed, "We have some specialised training today." He sat heavily on the grass, back leaning against a tree stump. The fallen leaves on the ground lifted themselves with the aid of some unseen and unfelt wind. The leaves flew at us, twirling and dancing. Annoyed, I used a hand to bat them away.

"A specialised training?" I asked sceptically, "I can't believe you would —"

Multiple disturbances in the wind silenced me. Before I could even turn to locate the origins, six katanas flew from the treetops. One flew through the tree trunk and pierced Kakashi in the chest; not stopping till it met another tree and fell to the ground. Sasuke and Naruto narrowly avoided by executing a few flips. There was a clunking sound, as the chains attached to the katanas hit the ground loudly, before being dragged back into the treetops. Another hole appeared in Kakashi's chest as the katana was dragged backwards swiftly. His blood splattered everywhere. Sasuke and Naruto were in combat and Sai was being struck down by a large club. I lurched forward, finding myself unable to move properly. A biting sensation spread across my waist and everywhere around my body. As if I was being bound by chains.

A hand twisted my arm behind me, "Now then," a familiar voice said, "I think since you did me a terrible deed, I thinks I should let ya watch all ya mates die."

It was the Mist shinobi with the scythe. His friends jumped out of the trees, chakra's masked so well it seemed unbelievable.

"Ya friend there," he said casually, standing beside me as if he was a friend, as if a bloodbath wasn't occurring right in front of my eyes, "Looks like his life is ebbin' away from him." He grinned at me, "What'cha gonna do little kunoichi? Ya a medic ain't ya? Aren't ya gonna go and help 'im?"

I struggled, ignoring the increasingly painful feeling on my body, but the chains around me held tight. I couldn't even lift my pinky.

I turned to glance at Kakashi, who with two gaping holes in his chest still managed to strike one shinobi in the chest.

"No," I tried to say, "Aim for the throat!"

But no words came out, my mouth was frozen. The shinobi didn't bat an eyelash, plunging his blood tipped katana into Kakashi's chest, piercing a lung.

_No._

Sasuke was tired and outnumbered. His chakra levels descending rapidly. Two shinobis poked and laughed at him, one plunging a kunai deep into his shoulder. The Uchiha's façade slipped off for a mere second, as the other did a roundhouse kick to his head. Sasuke hit the tree and slumped, the blood continuing to flow from his wounds.

_No._

I turned just in time to see one Mist shinobi snap Naruto's neck.

_Stop!_

Coldness seeped into me, panic and fear. I had to focus. Focus. Something nagged at me, telling me that this was a little surreal. To see my teammates take such blows without putting up a strong fight. I closed my eyes and focused on my chakra signal. To my immense relief, it was disrupted. I could have cried with happiness. This was a genjutsu, nothing more than a mere illusion. I breathed deeply, opening my eyes, ready to release myself.

But the genjutsu seemed too realistic all the same, each gory detail painted in front of me. Helpless, as always. Always too weak to extend a hand to those I loved when they needed it most.

"K-kai." I choked out. The scene didn't change. A building terror rose in me, what if this wasn't a genjutsu at all? I forced myself to calm down; trying to ignore the shinobis who were continually beating up my teammates.

"Kai!" I shrieked, willing this nightmare to end. The scene faded away and I was back in the forest. I fell to my knees, panting as cold sweat rolling down my skin.

"Ah. Sakura is back." The familiar voice drawled. It was Kakashi sensei, bearing a chest with no holes and looking thankfully unharmed. I scrambled to my feet, and threw myself at him, giving him the biggest hug I could muster in my current state.

"I'm glad you're alive sensei," I said happily, before curling my fist into a ball and slamming it into Kakashi's stomach. Sure, there are no holes, but a nice, big bruise wouldn't bother me the least.

"You think I wouldn't figure it out?" I demanded, a sinister smile which promised pain etching its way onto my face, as I loomed over Kakashi's fallen figure, "The trademark leaves flying around us when there wasn't any wind. You used your stupid Narakumi no Jutsu on us, didn't you?"

Kakashi's Narakumi no Jutsu was supposed to be a low ranked genjutsu. It begins when leaves swirl around the victim, and everything seems normal until the genjutsu starts, showing you your worst fear.

Kakashi smiled nervously, "Well done Sakura. A stronger version of my Demonic Illusion. Kudos for picking it up, I'll take note of the wind next time."

"Was it necessary?!" I shivered, "There was some pretty bad stuff in there."

"It was vital for our training." The cool and collected voice could only mean the Uchiha. I fought the urge to give him some sort of relieved greeting. I spun on my heels to glare at him instead.

"Yes, in the Jounin test, no doubt something similar will be placed on you." Kakashi stood up, brushing himself off, "You need to be able to dispel it before the time is up." He indicated the sky.

It was almost midday, meaning I had taken around two hours to break the genjutsu. I pointed a finger at the Uchiha, "What about him?"

"About one hour and fifteen minutes. His Sharingan could see through the genjutsu. An advantage."

I fought off a shiver which passed through me, as I inevitably remembered the events which had occurred. If it hadn't been for my nagging instincts, I might have been stuck there for longer than I could bear. I looked around, Sai and Naruto stood, eyes open but void of any emotion. Sai looked as though he was struggling. His chakra signal was changing erratically. No doubt he was already dispelling the genjutsu. Hold on. Genjutsu? I looked at the now onyx eyed Uchiha. Sharingan could detect genjutsus. Yet Sasuke had failed to detect the genjutsu on us from the restaurant.

What a letdown. His Sharingan must be giving him some problems. At least I wasn't the only one with something to worry about. I stalked off towards the training arena. All of those feelings which I had abandoned in the past had come back to me. The fears, the panic of being useless, unable to help the ones I loved when they needed help the most. It still felt as though I was dragging down the team. Neji appeared in front of me before I had even taken two steps. I could sense Kakashi look up from his orange book to observe the scene. Meanwhile, Sai had broken out of the genjutsu and seemed to be in rather bad shape. Neji flicked his eyes over my companions without surprise, his gaze stopping on the Uchiha for a while before turning back to me.

"Haruno-san." Neji smiled a little, I tilted my head in confusion.

"Is there something wrong Neji-kun?" What else could I assume when he looked nervous and tense?

"I --" He cleared his throat, "Would you would like to accompany me to the Spring Festival?"

Behind me, Uchiha's gaze narrowed dangerously.

* * *

**~NeXt Up: ChApTeR 9: RiVaLrY AnD TeMpErS~**

* * *

**DONE!!!! Mwahaha, you didn't expect an ACTUAL proposal now did you? Sorry to disappoint. **

**Geez, almost six thousand words *mock faints*. LOL, hope I didn't babble **_**too **_**much. Would be tragic if it were six thousand words of rubbish. Haha, hope the holidays are going awesome for all of you! I'll try to post up the next chapter as soon as I can. I have high hopes for the first of January but still not so certain! Five days. Hmm. Let's try. **

**MERRY CHRISTMAS — late. AND HAPPY NEW YEAR — early. But hope that you guys aren't cooped up in a boring house with talkative relatives like me — even though they do make the most AMAZING food! **

**The reviews are fantastic, so much support TT_TT … Those are tears of joy people, tears of joy. Once again, I'll be looking for whichever stray review tumbles in.**

**Until the NEXT CHAPTER!!!**

**~CaNDy~**


	9. Rivalry And Tempers

**Jeez, I'm such a bad person T_T //Apologizes// I had said I would update on the 1****st****, but my mum decided to drag me onto an unplanned three day trip up north, where I happened to be stupid enough to get badly burnt by the sun //frowns// I have no common sense… LOL.**

**So, anyway, here it is! Chapter nine!!**

**Whoop! Thanks to all those who put me on favorite, alert, communities, and ANYONE WHO IS READING THIS!!! Also, Big thanks for all the people who reviewed, it's at 97 REVIEWS!!! //Gasp// it's unbelievable!! Thank you so much! You're all so awesome! I hope I can keep you entertained with this!**

**CHAPTER NINE COMMENCE!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… //weeps again — I seem to have to cry at ever disclaimer… ==// but I DO own this particular box of Favorites… ^^**

**HAPPY LATE NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! **

* * *

**~ChApTeR 9: RiVaLrY AnD TeMpErS~**

* * *

"_Would you would like to accompany me to the Spring Festival?"_

I blinked. And then again. I had an answer all prepared in my mind.

_Sorry Neji, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no._

It was blunt, yeah, but Hyuuga was never one to appreciate people beating around the bush. Before I had even opened my mouth, the Uchiha had made a loud noise from the back of his throat. He glared at Neji.

"Is there something you want to say Uchiha?" Neji said dryly, straightening up and giving him a frosty look. I turned to scrutinize the Uchiha myself; he looked like he was choking. Silently choking. I had to hold back a grin, now _this _was amusing.

"Hn." Sasuke turned away and stormed back to where Naruto lay. Kakashi quickly looked down at his orange book, pretending that he hadn't heard anything. I tilted my head. It was obvious that this offer irked Sasuke. Two reasons I could think of. The first being the old rivalry between the Hyuuga and Uchiha clan. Both Neji and Sasuke, being the heirs, obviously carry on this grudge. So, Sasuke can't stand to see one of his own teammates accompanying a Hyuuga to the grand Spring Festival.

The second was that he was _jealous_. And well, that one was so absurd that I won't even consider it. So, if this peeves the Uchiha, I will _definitely _take part. The only thing I worry about on this note was the Hyuuga's feelings. We were always fast friends; however, I cannot see why he suddenly pulled a question like that. I pulled him aside, away from eavesdroppers_. _Cough, Kakashi, cough.

"Neji-kun?" I glanced at the faraway teammates, feeling satisfied we were out of hearing range, before raising my eyebrows at him, "What's the real meaning of this?"

Neji gave a grim smile, "The elders in the clan are pushing me to get married. They believe the Spring Festival is a great opportunity to meet 'new candidates'."

I flinched slightly at the word, "Candidate eh?" I smiled weakly, "So uh, where exactly do I come in here?"

"Well." Neji looked guilty, bowing his head slightly in an apologetic fashion, "Forgive me for saying this Haruno-san, but I am merely using you as a cover. You see, I have someone set on my mind, and I have not the courage to approach her yet, and I fear the elders might ... trouble her immensely. But since, the relationship between you and I is purely platonic, I thought you wouldn't mind so much."

"I see!" I brightened, relaxing, "So, I'm a decoy."

"Are you troubled by it?" Neji asked uneasily, "I am being rather unreasonable."

"No, no, no." I waved my hands, "No at all. But, I think I need to ask a favor of you also. This matter peeves the Uchiha unbelievably; I ask if you can play along."

"Ah." Neji nodded, "I consent. No problem at all."

I grinned, "You know, I've never really liked the Council of anything. They've always giving me a bit of trouble in the past. You wouldn't mind if I gave them a bit of grief would you?"

Neji managed a proper smile before rolling his eyes, "Do what you like to them. I couldn't possibly care less."

I glanced quickly at the clearing; Naruto was coming out of the genjutsu, shaking violently. The Uchiha had his eyes closed, but no doubt trying to listen. I patted Neji on the back, leaving him to walk out by himself. From the looks of it, Tenten was waiting quietly at the front. Also, Neji seemed extremely pleased that she had stayed. I shook my head in disbelief, what was with the sudden lust travelling around Konoha?

"Naruto!" I beamed, turning to him, "You're awake!"

The Uchiha had been quietly surveying me all this time, his eyes on me the entire time was annoying.

"What are you looking at Uchiha?" I hissed, crossing my arms.

"What did you say?"

Oh, the nerve of him, to pry into _my _business as if he actually had a place there. "Why do _you_ care?" I said coldly, "Mind your own business Uchiha."

* * *

"I can't believe you wanted to go to the Spring Festival wearing _that _drab!" Ino cried dramatically, dragging me into an elaborate and elegant looking store, "Haruno, you are going to be the death of me!"

"It wasn't that bad." I grumbled, eyeing the fancy designs and trying not to wince at the overbearing smell of perfume.

"Believe me it was." Ino shook her head, finally stopping, "Dark purple does _not _go well for you. For your ma, yes. For you? No. I'm your friend; I can't have you going out looking like _that_."

"Aren't friends meant to be nice and supportive?"

"It's for your own good Forehead." Ino snapped, pulling out a red yukata with a ridiculously high slit, "_This _is pretty."

"It's slutty," I shot back; "I don't want to showcase my undergarments for everyone there."

Ino sighed, sorting through the racks at breakneck speed, "I can't believe that you're going with the Hyuuga _again_ this year. I mean, I thought the mission would be _perfect _for the plan."

"The plan," I echoed, "_Your _plan. There's no way I could ever get the Uchiha to fall in love with me. And if I could, I would have to _want _to. And I don't!"

"But you spent almost a week together! Why didn't you stretch the time longer? He _could _have fallen in love with you!"

I paused my own slow search, "Ino, let's be realistic. No one has the time to fall in love with someone while they're trying not to get killed, _or _trying to save their beloved village."

"It happens."

"Yeah, in your manga."

"Which are based on real life!"

"Which ones?!"

Silence. Ino muttered something under her breath, "Denial." However was one repeated word I caught on. I frowned, pulling out a random yukata. It was black. I glanced hopelessly at the many racks left. How was I meant to find one which would suit me out of a thousand that didn't?!

"Aha!" Ino crowed triumphantly, bringing out a dark red yukata with light pink cherry blossoms drawn. The obi was also a light pink, surprisingly contrasting well with the red. Yeah, it was very beautiful but come on, _sakura drawn on?_

"No way am I wearing that, Ino-pig," I protested, "It's so cliché! Cherry blossoms?"

"Nonsense." Ino pushed me into the changing cubicle, "It was _made _for you. I admit it is convenient about the cherry blossoms, but this _color_, you won't find it anywhere else!"

Note to self: Never mistrust Ino's fashion instincts. It turned out that the color fitted me perfectly. The only problem was that it was too snug. As in, one chocolate slice and I'll be popping the seams. But when I caught that look in the mirror, I decided I could afford to eat balanced meals for a while. I mean, sometimes, a girl can be vain right?

* * *

Naruto's kunai whistled past my ear as I flipped forward. A kunai in each hand, I lunged towards him, slicing whatever I could. Not surprisingly, the kunai only met blank air. His arm grabbed my wrist and pulled it back hard until it snapped. Green chakra coursed up to my wrist as I used my unwounded hand to grab his arm and flip him onto the ground. His spine arched, after a second he was up again. I dodged to the left, a fist catching me unawares in the stomach, one hand on the ground and on my toes, I grabbed at the soil, willing myself to slow down. I leapt forward, he dodged towards the right when I swung my fist, and my left leg lifted and kicked him right under the jaw. For a second, it seemed as though he might be done for. When I remembered that I had stupidly forgotten to put enough chakra into the swing. In a flurry, he was gone, travelling around the area with such speed that my eyes were always a few milliseconds late in detecting him. By the time my brain had caught up with reality, he was standing on the branch of a tall tree with eight kunai between his fingers and one caught between his teeth.

I clasped my hands together, willing myself to concentrate, let's see if my training actually resulted in something. His wrists flicked, and the kunai were flung loose. Even the eighth one was plucked from his mouth and flung. I waited until the kunai were within range and whistled, — I had found that the sound was sharper, and louder, making it easier to carry — pushing the sound with a carefully set amount of chakra. To my delight, six kunai were deflected immediately, clunking uselessly to the ground. However, I had miscalculated the chakra I was supposed to push out and had to duck the other two.

"Wow." Naruto blinked, forgetting that we were engaged in a battle, "How'd ya do that Sakura-chan?"

I grinned; shooting chakra into my feet as I jumped, and moved so my face was level with Naruto, "Not for you to know." One right hook and he was sinking like a stone. I glanced down. He had certainly landed like a stone. I started laughing uncontrollably. If Naruto never gets his face on Hokage Mountain, there'll always be a full body imprint of him in the training fields.

"Stop laughing Sakura-chan," He moaned, spitting out a mouth full of dirt, "It's not funny."

"It is!" I jumped down lightly from the tree, and squatted down to here he lay motionless, "Geez Naruto, I hope we're still fighting."

"No, no," He grunted as he tried to get himself into sitting position, "You've won this round. But next time, I'm gonna get you."

"You see in lower spirits than usual," I remarked, running a glowing hand over his wounds, "Usually, you would just keep going. What's up?"

"Not much, just kinda worried about the Spring Festival though."

I blinked, Naruto … worried? Over a festival? That would be a first. "And uh, why is that exactly?"

"Well. It's all big right? With everyone there. Like," He gulped, turning paler, "Hinata's tou-san?"

I blinked again, if I did it anymore times, I swear my eyelashes were gonna start falling off. "Ah." I grinned, "Well. He _is _a worry." I saw him pale more, "Ah, what I mean is. You just have to make sure you're on your best manners — which _includes _swallowing before talking."

"Uh, okay." Naruto's eyes slimmed into slits, "I see?"

I sighed exasperatedly, he obviously didn't see — both literally and metaphorically — "Naruto, have you even bought your hakuma yet?"

Naruto snapped his fingers, eyes widening, "That's right! I _knew _I forgot something! Well, bye Sakura-chan! It was fun doing this!"

He raced off before I even had the chance to finish healing him. I shook my head, wondering at how he could just forget about one thing and rush off to do another. I laid back, eyes squinting at the sky. Clouds were oh-so-nice to look at, but not really my thing.

"So," I murmured, "What should I do now?" Jeez. I was even talking to myself. I needed something to clear my mind, take my mind _off _of things for a while. I leapt up. I knew exactly where to go.

* * *

"Hey, it's Haruno-san!"

"Haruno-san!"

I smiled and waved back, feeling a little uncomfortable at all this treatment I was getting, all the white coats fluttered by. The familiar scent of disinfectant invaded my nose. I stopped short in front of one of the acting managers who had _temporarily _taken my place. I knew she didn't want to give it up.

"Welcome back Sakura-san," Ana bowed, glaring at the ground, "Are you _sure_ you're ready to resume your duties?"

I felt a twinge of annoyance, before pushing it down. "Yes," I said, slipping on my white coat and grabbing a clipboard, "It's nice to be back."

"Remember to take a break this time!" One of the good natured nurses shouted out, making me laugh along with the rest of them.

"I will, I will." I waved the comment away, smiling as I pushed open the familiar doors.

A few hours later, I found myself pushed into a break. I sipped my tea, trying not to wince at the bitter taste. A few ladies came up to me, eyes cold, the Hyuuga symbol on their backs.

"Haruno-san?" The voice was high and proper. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. They looked as though they were trying not to wrinkle their nose with disgust.

"Yes?" I stood, catching a glimpse of the clan leader behind all the females.

Hiashi stepped through his little entourage, "You are going with my son to the festival?"

"Yes Hiashi-sama." I bowed, feeling a prickle of annoyance. Did they come to my workplace to solely badger me about that?

"I see. I just wanted to confirm it from you yourself. That is all." He gave a nod, eyes digging deep into me as if they were trying to see into my mind. After a few seconds, he spun on his heels and left. Just like that. The ladies gave a sneer before following him. I felt sorry for Naruto. I was dating the man's _nephew _and he had felt an obligation to come and _'confirm' _it with me. Naruto was dating Hiashi's _daughter_. I couldn't even put the stone cold man next to overly hyperactive Naruto. I shook my head and cringed, poor, _poor_ Naruto. As I turned to dump my cup into the bin, I came face to face — or rather face to _chest _with the Uchiha. I froze, the look on his face wasn't pretty at all.

"_You _are going with the _Hyuuga_?!"

I groaned.

* * *

"You are going with the Hyuuga."

"Yup." I used one hand to pull up longer strands of hair, and pinned it with a senbon. No time to go buy proper hair accessories now. I glanced in the mirror, it looked acceptable. The painted lips though? Not acceptable, but Ino said that she would shave me bald if I dared to even _touch _it. I hadn't yet put on the dress. The Uchiha however, had been going on about it for hours — even silently. It's not like I can't see the glares he points in my direction. I swear he stresses a different word in each sentence.

"You are going with the _Hyuuga_."

"Yup." I turned to look at the Uchiha who was sitting cross legged on the floor, eyes narrowed as usual, "And no matter how many times you say it, it won't change. Geez, put the rivalry to one side for _just _one night won't you?"

His eyes narrowed even more, "Rivalry?"

I sighed, trying to pull on the damn shoes, "Go find yourself a date Mr. I-think-I'm-so-hot-that-girls-would-actually-make-a-line-to-be-a-marriage-candidate. Do whatever; just don't screw up my evening."

* * *

"You look beautiful tonight." Neji said politely.

"Cut the formality Neji." I grinned, "Otherwise Tenten may get the wrong idea."

He stiffened before relaxing again, "You know? How?"

"Eh, woman's intuition? So," I looked at the squirming Hyuuga in his white hakuma and the large blob of white trailing in front, "Pretty extensive family, huh?"

"Yes." He sighed, "Please be on guard Haruno. My family will not hesitate to probe you with their questions."

"No problem." I blew a stray strand from my face, grinning, "I'm more or less completely ready for that. Tonight is going to be _fun_."

"Don't underestimate them." Neji warned, a slight smile inevitably donning his face.

"Neji-sama!" One voice called, Neji gave me one last look before walking over. Immediately, one of the older Hyuuga's leaning heavily on a stick walked rapidly up to me. Far faster than the stick would have implied.

"Haruno-san." His voice was clipped and formal, "Would you walk with me for a moment?"

_Hell no_ was what I almost stated. This man looked senile, hardly the old loving grandpa type.I stared for a brief second thinking, my resolve still remained in tact, and however this Hyuuga looked terribly important. If I behaved too irrationally on this, then Neji may get some of punishment as well. I bowed.

"Hyuuga-san, it would definitely be an honor."

I bit my lip. If I was willing to piss them off, I had to include it into my personality. Discreetly. Damn, discreet was definitely not my thing. I twitched. I had a bad feeling that something was ebbing away. It seemed to be a bit of chakra. I shrugged. It was normal to feel this way in a big crowd, it was probably nothing.

"Haruno-san, I am one of the members of the Hyuuga council." He paused, staring at me. I wasn't quite sure what to do, so I bowed again, he nodded, "So, what is your relationship between Neji?"

If I said nothing, that would seem a little weird. If I said that I was merely dating him for the Hyuuga money that may seem like I was insulting them, and that would not be good at all. What pisses off a guy in authority? My first thought was fan girl, as that pisses a _lot _of people off. But it would seem to them that Neji just plucked a girl from the crowd and dated her. Also, Tsunade's reputation would be quite at danger. I decided to go for the extremely hyperactive but know-so-much-that-it-is-creepy type.

"Neji-_kun_?" I tapped my chin enthusiastically, "Yes, he is quite the specimen."

"Specimen?" The old man echoed, narrowing his eyes.

"Indeed, you see, I have researched extensively into the Hyuuga history, and it is all very intriguing. Neji is in some sort of power, yes?"

"Yes…"

"Excellent. When I get married into the household I would definitely make a few changes. For the first, the structure is completely inadequate. The big and elegant household seems so fragile, what we need is a big room for all the children. Preferably a bright color, which brings me on to the main Hyuuga color. Pure white? So bland, such a color should not belong to the Hyuuga clan; it is boring and stains easily. I suggest something fluorescent, such as bright orange or the likes. Naruto's jumpsuit is quite fitting for the color scheme. And the long hair should _definitely _go. Males are not meant to have long hair, period. Gives off a slight problem in differentiating the sexes. I believe many of us also assumed that a large amount of males in the Hyuuga clan were cross dressers." I glanced at the Hyuuga, he had turned an unnatural shade of red, and veins were bulging from his forehead, I tried extremely hard not to laugh, "Dear me, it is rather hot today I suppose. You must really get some treatment for your veins, it's not good at all when they pop out like that."

_Sorry Neji. _Although some of that was rather insulting, I was enjoying myself tremendously, the Hyuuga man looked extremely pissed off though. I still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. I caught a glimpse of Neji.

"Neji-kun!" I called, watching him stop and beckon to me.

I stopped and bowed deep again to the elder, "Thank you for our chat Hyuuga-san. Neji-kun doesn't know what I'm planning yet, so let's keep it a secret shall we?" I winked, causing his red to escalate into a frightening purple, "I hope we meet again."

Obviously, anyone who knew me would suspect something was up. But the Hyuuga didn't know me, not even the bit. In fact, if his rapid edging away and the dangerous glint in his eyes was anything to judge by, I would say he wouldn't _want _to meet me again. But my eyes must be deceiving me; I was a completely lovable person just then! Ha! Wink.

"Haruno-san, what are you doing?" Neji chuckled lightly, "Goodness, purple is very befitting for him isn't it?

"Sure is. I don't think they'll have any objections in you taking another woman now." I stuck my tongue out at some of the ladies who were glaring at me, "What the hell are they staring at?"

"What did you tell him?"

I froze, I couldn't exact tell him about the cross dresser thing, or _anything _I had said without turning into a stuttering fool with embarrassment. I could already hear the words, "insufferable woman" floating around the clan. Oops, hope it was just my imagination.

"Never mind, you'll find out soon." I winced, "The thing is, you should really get Tenten now."

Neji smiled, dipping his head slightly, "I thank you for this Haruno."

"Oh," I sucked in my breath, "Don't thank me yet, they might be more pissed off than you think."

I looked back at the Hyuuga crowd, each of them glaring. My chakra tank felt somewhat depleted. I blinked. That was a funny way to show disapproval. Did they do that often? I decided not to mention it to Neji. It was one night, what good would chakra be in a festival?

As soon as Neji disappeared I headed straight for the food area. My stomach was starting to broadcast its needs. I glanced at the mouth watering stores, rustling around the pockets of the yukata for change. Unfortunately, that was the one thing that I had forgotten to take, I only had about three hundred yen on me. Not a piece more. The prices for the Spring Festival were ridiculously high as well, I could probably afford a napkin, but I couldn't eat that could I?

I grumbled, roaming aimlessly around the area.

"What are you doing?"

I twitched. There, clad in a blue hakuma with an Uchiha clan fan on the back stood — yes, you guessed it — the Uchiha. I groaned, what a time to show up.

"Nothing. Scoot along, find someone else to torture won't you?"

"You're not hungry?" He had seen me glancing at the noodle stalls.

"Not at all." I said defiantly. Just when I was about to walk off, he grabbed my arm and swung me in the opposite direction forcefully.

"What the hell do you —" I looked to find the Uchiha quickly averting his eyes from the centre of the noisy crowd. I followed his gaze. Neji was there, awkwardly holding hands with Tenten. I groaned when I realized that they were doing this in plain sight. But an unexplainable feeling of joy rose in me. There was also a strange aching feeling. I'm not going to pretend I don't know what it was. It was longing for what they had. But I knew my own time would come soon. I smiled for them; no doubt Tenten was tough enough to handle the stupid Hyuuga Council.

The Uchiha squirmed and started rapidly pulling me away to another direction. He looked rather uncomfortable as he made me sit in a seat of a popular restaurant.

"I'll treat you." He muttered. I raised an eyebrow, he was obviously trying to avoid looking at the Hyuuga even though they were so close, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Uchiha," I spluttered, "Are you feeling sorry for me?"

He blinked, looking between me and the Hyuuga, "Don't you feel slightly upset?"

I took in a deep breath, "Yeah sure," I chuckled, "I'm heartbroken, completely devastated. I feel like I'm going to drown in sorrow."

"I get it." He grumbled slowly, "You guys were putting on an act?"

"A little show for everyone. And don't think you're getting away, I believe you said you'd treat me."

His forehead met the table with a loud bang and a curse; I tried to stifle the laughter which threatened to rise again. I couldn't help but feel a little touched that he had tried to ease the blow — even one which wasn't there in the first place. I guess revenge could be put aside for a little while.

"Just for today Uchiha, I'll let you slide." I whispered, taking in my delicious meal. I raised my voice, "So, who'd you come with? As in a date?"

"Hn." He bit into his food. I laughed again.

"No one? That's a little lonely."

The Uchiha gave a full scale glare before continuing to eat. After half an hour, I was finally done. The silence had been a comfortable one, at least as comfortable as it could have been.

"Let's go to the fishing stall." I smiled, placing the chopsticks on the empty bowl. He had finished long before, "I'm sure Naruto's there, trying to catch some fish as he always is. Thanks for the food by the way."

I dragged him away, releasing his hand for a second to check that my obi was still tied the way it was supposed to be. At that moment, I bumped into a white clad figure, before I had the time to jump back; I had been teleported to just outside the front gates of Konoha.

* * *

I swirled furiously, thankful suddenly for the slit in the yukata which allowed more movement than some. Unfortunately for me, the attacker was not alone. Each with slits up to Kami-knows-where. No way was I gonna look _that _far up someone's dress. Ew.

"What the hell?" I growled, baring my teeth at the intruders. It wasn't hard to see who they were. The white yukatas on each of the women as well as the Hyuuga clan symbol was a dead giveaway. There were nine of them, each fully equipped. I held up my hands. "What the hell are you trying to do?"

One of them, who was wearing a more elaborate hairdo and more trinkets coldly scrutinized me.

"You are Neji-san's date?" Her lip curled in disgust, "A wretch from a lowly clan, with no parents and no skills? What good are medical skills? They are for the weak. I do not approve at all."

I smirked, tapping my temple, "I'll remember that next time you're all bloody and dying." I looked around at the girls silently watching our exchange, "So, what's with the tremendous burst of courage? To corner a weaponless girl outside of the grounds with all these other girls? Is it intimidation? Jealousy perhaps?"

The girl's eyes glistened warningly. I felt that I was going a little overboard, but I couldn't stop myself. The whole situation just pissed me off that they would lure girls out and beat them senseless in an unfair match.

"Look, if you have a problem with me, this isn't the best way to do it. But if you insist on a scrap, one to one would be the fairest. Not that I'm scared at the numbers, I reckon this is pretty good training for the Jounin exam. Plus, don't all of you look a little too old to be in a relationship with Neji? Or are you just set on his status?"

I quickly tried to remember what weapons I had carried around. I had a kunai tucked under my yukata, a few shruiken, and one useless senbon in my hair, but that was about it. I had to learn to rein in my temper, really. But if the attacks were inevitable — cross my fingers that they'll just leave — I could always use the weapons they throw at me.

"Laugh all you want Haruno, but in the end all you have are words." She snapped, losing her cool demeanor, she turned to the other girls, "Get her."

Shit. Me and my big mouth. Now I knew that the Hyuuga clans didn't hold any sissies. Look at Neji. In the hundreds of spars we've done, I've only won about one or two — those were on his _bad _days. Then look at Hinata. Her cover may fool you, but that girl is really tough, you wouldn't want to fight her when she's angry. Thankfully, that's not too often. Even Hanabi does better than most genin. Their clan is incredible. I hadn't thought that they'd actually come after me, I didn't think that they'd have the guts, so close to the festival. I would have run. I'm no wimp, but nine Hyuuga ladies out for revenge? That was really bad. But now that I was here, a little pre-training couldn't hurt that much.

The girls had jumped down from their positions and were slowly advancing forward. An old trick, mainly done when the victim had slim to nil chance of winning, this slowly advancing forward thing adds fuel to the _fear_ in the said person. I waited, hand creeping up to grab my kunai. One of the ladies had a katana, I had to get that off of her for a firmer standing.

The one in front with shorter hair lunged; my hand gripped onto the kunai and parried all the attacks. For some reason, their movements seemed to be slower. No, I was not having an in-the-moment time, it was as if, I was expecting too much. I used my free hand to push the first one into a bush, watching her stumble before finally losing her balance. I heard a quiet whistle and ducked down, a shuriken spun above my head, hitting the trunk of the tree behind me.

"Close call." I breathed. The others were all coming in at the same time now. I waited for the moment before using a swift butterfly kick (A/N almost like a horizontal cartwheel when the feet are lifted in the air). So much for not showcasing my undergarments. I will never ever do that ever again. Never again in a yukata. Most of them didn't sense the kick. The few that weren't unconscious were quickly pinned down by the scattered kunai, the tips piercing through the empty sleeves of the yukatas into the ground.

The girl with the katana advanced, I started to understand the situation a little bit. The girl who had spoken was obviously the strongest, yet she had made no move to participate in the fight, merely standing aside and observing. Meaning that she wholly trusted the ones lying in the bush and the floor to complete the task. However they hadn't had such a major weapon. The girl with the katana had a determined look on her face, but her katana was quivering. She was the weakest, that's why she had a weapon. I strode forward, my point only proven by the fact that the girl had frozen in shock. I gently pushed down the katana.

"You don't have to fight me," I sighed, "I'm not a major target all right? You don't have to be involved."

Her eyes narrowed, "I am a member of the Hyuuga clan, so therefore I _am _involved." She made a slice with the katana, ripping up the front bit of my yukata. However, her grip stiff and only made a light slice on my stomach. She yelled as she swung the katana again, I grabbed her katana and wrenched it from her hand. She ran away. There was still one more person to go. The one who had been staying in the shadows, not even twitching as her companions fell.

"Are you done yet?" I demanded, gesturing to the ground full of Hyuuga ladies, "Look at your comrades. Why the hell did you make inexperienced fighters partake in the battle?"

"It was amusing." She smiled.

"Oh really," I spat, "Come on then. You've already riled up my temper, why don't you have a go?"

"You have already lost. That gash is infected. What a worthless medic for you not to notice."

I glanced at the cut in disbelief. Indeed, it had turned purplish-black. I winced, trying to make the chakra flow into the wound. Whoops. Earth to Haruno Sakura, chakra-tank completely empty — remember? A jolt ran through my spine, causing me to curse and sink to my knees. I focused all my strength on not falling, if I did that, it would be hard for me to climb back up. At least in this position, I could still stand firm.

"Yes, we drained you chakra at the start." She grinned, as all the girls around her started to get up, "This poison is quite basic actually. But we made sure you didn't even have a _drop _of chakra left in you. It was difficult and took a lot of planning to do this without you noticing. But, in the end, you are really quite pathetic without your chakra."

"Paralysis." I choked out, sluggishly raising an arm to block an incoming kick and a few punches.

The head girl or, whatever she was raised an appreciative eyebrow, "So you can still move, but for how much longer?"

It was already taking the strength out of me to lift my pinky. And with no chakra to fuel it, my pinky alone was hardly going to be any use. A slap connected with my cheek, I accidentally bit off a bit of skin from my lip. I spat out a little blood.

"A slap? This is supposed to make me change my mind about Neji-kun? Get used to failure ladies." There was definitely something wrong with my brain and mouth today. First lesson in _common sense_; don't ever provoke your enemies when you're paralyzed, in an isolated area, and without any weapon or chakra. Just don't do it, it's a bad idea.

A kick to the stomach proves it. I looked up, determined not to show any signs of submission. How could they just push around anyone they wanted to? Their faces seemed frozen in shock. I would have turned around, apart from the fact that the chakra signature wanted to make me bury myself two feet under, regardless of the stupid paralysis thing.

Someone sighed, "You're so annoying. All this over the stupid Hyuuga?" A strong arm lifted me up and draped my arm over his shoulders. I was hoisted so I could see the scene. It was pretty. All the girls had gone as pale as their yukatas, not even daring to move. I looked at the calm Uchiha out of the corner of my eye.

"Uchiha, I got this." I hissed. He raised an eyebrow.

"No you don't." He glanced at my injury.

I grimaced, "You could be less blunt about it."

"Ino." He said finally, "She can heal."

"Please, just kill me instead." I groaned, thinking about the massive rip in my dress. Ino is going to go ballistic. Sasuke paused. My eyes were hurting from being pushed to one side so I decided to drop them. All I could see was that the girls turned an even whiter shade, if that was even possible. Sasuke's free hand clenched his katana. The girls looked so horrified, I felt a little sorry for them.

"Come on Uchiha," I mumbled, wincing a little, "Let's just go."

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Ino shrieked, rushing over to where I was sitting, "How could you do that to your yukata?!"

"Ino-pig, your friend is lying here paralyzed and unable to move even a muscle below her neck and _you _are going on about a _yukata_? Glad to know I'm so important in your life."

"Cut the sarcasm forehead," Ino glared, swatting me in the head with her hand, "It's nice to know you can't retaliate to that."

I cussed under my breath as Ino took her sweet time in clearing my system, with the occasional assault. I glanced to the side; Shikamaru was waiting where Sasuke was, about ten meters away. Clearly, they did not want to get involved in this.

"Ino!" I said gleefully, "You got _Shikamaru _to take you here?! That's like making a cat diving into a pool. I _thought _it was impossible!"

"It was nothing." Ino smiled proudly, "But you have to admit. I'm awesome. And quit trying to change the topic!"

Damn.

"What about your dark Prince Charming? Wake up and smell the roses. He _like _likes you."

I rolled my eyes, "Shut that mouth."

Ino sighed, "Hello? He just rescued you from drug-giving rabid bitches, uh," She caught my glare, "Excuse my language _mum_. Get a clue yet?"

I didn't reply. Ino paused again, holding me at arms length, "Whoa. No fiery raging from that? What's up Forehead. Did you fall in love again?"

"Of course not!"

"Lies." Ino prompted.

Well what did she want me to say?! I blinked, trying to separate the mixture of emotions swirling around in my head. Whatever happened to my revenge package?! I glanced at the Uchiha again. He even caught me looking, I narrowed my eyes. Then turned back to Ino who was impatiently waiting for a proper answer.

"Sakura, are in you or are you not in love with Uchiha Sasuke?"

* * *

**~NeXt Up: ChApTeR 10: CLeAnInG Up ThE MeSs~**

* * *

**Ooh!! Sakura's sitting on the fence. I wonder which side she'll step down on. Wait. I'm the author, I'm not meant to wonder. ==, damn. Well, I'll get the plot properly planned since I've completely ditched the last one. But let's face it, in a SasuXSaku story she can't really go through the **_**whole**_** story hating him to the core right? That would kinda lose the **_**romance**_** genre. xD ****Wow, this chapter was sooooo loooooong, almost 7200 words :S**

**Thanks again to all those who review — I never actually thought I would say that — I never really had expected a little doodle writing to receive so much feedback, but I love it! I'll be looking forward to your reviews — and always will!!! xP**

**So, that sums up another chapter! Don't worry, I'll update soon! //grins sheepishly //**

**~CaNdY~**


	10. Cleaning Up The Mess

****

Hi!! I'm back ... and with a new chapter! It's time to get focusing more on the Jounin exams, romance may be a bit slow, but with Sasuke's social constipation and Sakura's quick temper, I can't think of it proceeding too fast!! XP

**THANKS A MILLION FOR THE REVIEWS!! I couldn't believe it!! I had never **_**ever **_**even **_**thought **_**that I would come close to 100 reviews!!! Thank you so much! Your reviews make me all hyped to keep writing — not that I would shut up if you guys **_**didn't **_**review — but, it's very sweet of all of you.**

**Hmm, I've run out of things to say… OH! For the words with stars, the meanings -- ingredients blah, are at the end :)**

**CHAPTER TEN COMMENCE!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO!!!!! ****But**** I have chocolate +choco chip + jelly ice cream… //drool// **

* * *

**~ChApTeR 10: CLeANiNg Up ThE MeSs~**

* * *

Ino refused to continue healing me unless I gave a proper answer. I groaned, my muscles were screaming from being half healed, I tried not to look into her eyes either. It's just the fact that when Ino stares right at you, you find it hard not to crack under pressure.

"Okay, okay," I blurted out, "I —"

"Sakura-chan!!"

I almost sagged with relief when I caught sight of Naruto cheekily coming towards us. Ino turned towards the Uzumaki and let loose a long string of gruesome curses at Naruto who twitched, paled, and immediately hightailed out of here. Coward. Even Shikamaru and Sasuke shivered slightly. After three minutes of straight cussing, Ino turned back to me.

"You were saying?" She demanded furiously, red in the face. I was amazed she hadn't felt the need to draw a deep breath to make up for lack of oxygen. Naruto's little distraction allowed me to pull my common sense together. Not that I was lying to Ino — I was just ... just telling her a cover so that I could sort out my own feelings and give her a straight answer later. Yeah, that was it.

"I don't like the Uchiha."

"But you don't hate him either." Ino probed, resuming the healing. I rolled my eyes in reply.

"I don't hate him _as _much." I admitted, "Regrettably harder now to do so."

"Yeah," Ino agreed, "Considering how he saved your life, escorted you out in his arms. He just played the perfect role of the knight in shining armor. Apart from the fact that he made me drop my okonomiyaki*, which by the way, you owe me triple the amount. As for Shikamaru," she grimaced, "Pathetic excuse of a man. Tell me, who would just watch their date being dragged away by some dark stranger? I should have picked a more macho man."

I grinned, and then quickly glanced at the Uchiha again. I hammered down on the rising feeling. It wasn't unfamiliar; I knew exactly what it was. On the other hand, it had been a long time since I had felt it. But I wasn't in love with the Uchiha. It was a mistake. It was only because I had gotten rid of most of my spite, I'm just not used to feeling any type of warmth for the Uchiha at all. That was why.

I sighed, finally able to flex my fingers and wiggle my toes. I got up stiffly, Ino grunted as she tried to support my weight. She led me back to Shikamaru and Sasuke.

"It's going to take a while for the system to completely kick out the last few drops of drug," Ino told Sasuke cheerfully, "You might have to help her walk though." She turned back to Shikamaru, "Come on Shika-kun, let's go. You promised you'd buy me taiyaki* today!"

"Such a troublesome woman." He let Ino pull him along though; I caught a glimmer of a smile on his face while Ino's back was turned. I nodded appreciatively. Someone made a noise in the back of his throat, I looked at the Uchiha.

"What?" I asked, hobbling over to where he stood. He slung one of my arms over his shoulders and we began our walk back to the festival. It was agonizingly slow, after about ten minutes, we had only gotten about twenty meters. The crowd was getting thicker as well; people were bustling about, ignorant of anything else going on. I winced as someone stood on my foot, and some other person prodded a skewer into my back. The Uchiha just exhaled heavily. He knelt down suddenly, I almost lost my balance.

"Hey, what are you —" My feet left the ground and the world did a ninety degree turn. When I finally tilted my head the right way, I found that I was actually being _carried _by the Uchiha. I looked around, oh great everyone. Just the time for you to _stop _being ignorant eh?

"Uchiha!" I raged as quietly as I could, kicking painfully, "Put me down! I don't need to be carted off like I'm incapable of doing so myself! I will hobble if that's what it takes!!"

"I for one actually want to get home _within _a week." But he still didn't put me down. I hit and kicked him but he just kept walking. I gave up on the lost cause, trying to command the blood to stop flowing to my head.

_It's pointless, _I spoke silently, _I'm not even attempting a handstand right now, why don't you be good little blood cells and go back to my feet?_

But then again, they were rebellious, turning my face a horrible red to match my yukata. I squirmed.

"Stop moving." The Uchiha growled, "You're heavy enough already."

I glared coldly at him, using all my strength to lift my arms up and stretch his cheeks, "Lesson One Uchiha. You call a girl fat, she'll kick your sorry ass into the next era. That's one thing for you to expect first thing at training when I can move properly again."

He smirked, "Aa."

It's just hilarious how his vocabulary just seems to switch on and off erratically, it was like his own version of mood swings. I looked around for people I knew, steering Sasuke away from all the people who would take advantage of this situation as a source of blackmail or mockery in the near future. And that's too many people to name. Orange obscured my vision.

"Naruto." I smiled, which stretched when I saw Hinata beside him in a beautiful lilac yukata, "Hinata-chan!"

"Sakura-chan!" Hinata's eyes analyzed the situation, shock evident on her face, "Are you alright? Should I call for the Hokage?"

I waved my hand offhandedly, "You like my new ride?" I grinned, ignoring the Uchiha's sarcastic noise, "I'm fine Hinata-chan."

Naruto glared at Sasuke, "You with your filthy hands on her again. You had better not done this Uchiha."

"Hn." Sasuke glared back.

"Hey Ugly. What happened to you?" Sai appeared with about three girls hanging off his arm. He looked at the Uchiha, "Mute? Did you do this?"

"Hyuuga girls." Sasuke scowled. I cursed quietly for not seeing this coming; I though the Uchiha's vocabulary was still on 'off'. Hinata had turned extremely pale.

I smiled, "Yeah, pretty nasty incident. I didn't see them coming and accidentally crashed into a stall. Stupid thing twisted my ankle, hence this situation."

Naruto frowned, "Sakura-chan, I didn't see any broken stalls."

Curse Naruto for suddenly being smart for a few minutes. Why now?! I had to grit my teeth hard to keep the smile on my face,

"Yeah. The owner was incredible, had the thing back up in a jiffy."

Sai gave me a quiet snort, just to let me know that he didn't believe a single word. But Naruto seemed to be satisfied with that. He said a quick bye before dragging Hinata away. Sai was quickly led away by the girls clinging onto his arms, as they passed, each glared at me and made eyes at Sasuke. I felt tempted to stick my tongue out in reply. I rolled my eyes.

"Baka." I said, punching him in the shoulder, watching him wince, "If you told Hinata, of course she'd be guilty. Just keep quiet about that okay?"

Sasuke blinked before he started walking again. After a while, I got the feeling he was starting to tire. The Spring Festival road was long and winding, not to mention the fact that there was a lot of people to push past. The Uchiha was being surprisingly chivalrous, making sure that I wasn't hit by anyone.

"Hey," I squirmed a little, "Put me down now. I'm fine."

"Hn." But he just kept walking. It had gone in one ear and out the other. I sighed.

"Uchiha, if you don't let me walk right now, it may take even longer to flush the paralysis drug from my system." I raised an eyebrow, "And I can see that even _you _are tiring. We're almost there anyway."

He made skeptical noise to contradict that, but nevertheless he relented, gently letting my feet touch the ground again. As soon as they did, the fatigue hit me like an explosive trap. If this was four years ago, and I wasn't too busy holding onto my shredded pride, I would have most probably jumped back into the Uchiha's arms and shouted, "Forward!" But then again, four years ago, I was still in my fan girl state. I would not have gotten _out _of the Uchiha's arms in the first place. I shuddered to think about those years, glad that I had the monstrosity trapped somewhere in a crevice in my mind. Still having one arm over the Uchiha to support me, we returned to our snail paced journey.

I kept my head on the ground, silently checking that everything else was working. Every part of me felt stiff, but that was sure to clear up overnight. In the meantime, Sasuke's pace had slowed and stopped entirely. I looked to my side quizzically.

"Uchiha?"

His face looked downright murderous; I seriously pitied the man who he was regarding with that expression. I considered waving a hand in front of his face — you know, just to see if he was sane enough to be mad without killing someone.

"Sakura-san?" Although I love this person so very much, I had hoped at that moment he had been lost in the crowd on the _other _side of the festival. I _wished _I could have done so.

"Neji-san." I gulped, smiling weakly at Tenten, "How … convenient that we meet again."

He smiled back, not noticing that anything was amiss, "I heard of the tales you told the Council. Quite an imagination you have, _I_ had to try to old back my smile at least. The old man went positively beetroot in the face, he mentioned the word cross dressers multiple times. I must thank you again for the help tonight." He shifted a little, bringing out a hand.

I grinned, sticking out my own hand to shake his. In a flash, the Uchiha's fingers had wrapped around my wrist, firmly stopping me.

"Don't touch her." His tone dripping with hostility, "The Hyuuga clan has done enough for one evening."

"Uchiha." My own voice sounded tight as I tried to rein in a rising temper, "Don't."

"What happened?" Neji's face had paled considerably, Tenten asked me silently with her eyes.

"Nothi—"

"She was attacked by those Hyuuga women using dirty tricks." The Uchiha drew me back to him, "No doubt for your cause."

I felt a horrified expression spread across my fast as I forcefully pulled away from him, "How can you say that? It wasn't his fault at all!"

"You are defending him. You were ambushed because of the fact that he brought _you _as a date." He scowled darkly, "So it _is _his fault."

"Excuse me, but you are _not _the moderator for this. I'd like it if you kept your thoughts to yourself!"

"Well, let's ask Naruto and Sai, and see _their _thoughts on this."

"Keep them out of this!"

Anger had painted my face red as I kept ranting at the Uchiha. His cool comments threw me off, as well as the pale complexity; it seemed that blood does not rush up to the Uchiha head at all. That proves half of Ino's old vampire theory.

Neji had blanched even further if that was possible, "Sakura-san." He bowed low, keeping his head down, "I sincerely apologize for my clan's behavior. I should not have brought you along today for that purpose; something like this should have been predicted."

"It is not your fault!" I snapped, not bothering to hide the fact that I was angry, "You do not need to apologize. Dear Kami, straighten your back will you?" I spun on my heels to stab a finger into the Uchiha's chest, "You!" I hissed coldly, not caring who heard me, "I appreciate all that you did today, but you did more than was necessary with Neji-san. You do not speak for me Uchiha; I do that well enough on my own."

My head felt hot with rage as I pushed the Uchiha back and turned to the uncomfortable looking Neji and Tenten, "Excuse me please."

My dramatic exit would have been _perfect_, save for the fact that I was a lumbering, stumbling fool who was still suffering from effects of the paralysis drug. The act was ruined even more when I tripped over someone's foot making the lie I told Naruto a future reality. The useless owner just sat there, eyes open, mouth agape — letting it all just happen. Just before I hit the actual stall, the Uchiha slung my arm back over his shoulders and carried my weight, letting me drag on behind him. Every time I attempted to jerk my hand away, he gripped even harder, giving me the feeling that I was about to wrench my arm right out of its socket. I had no chakra to draw on, so any attempted violence would end up breaking _me _instead of him.

"I did not mean to insult you." He muttered with such a quiet voice that I almost missed it. I frowned before thinking it over. Naturally, the Uchiha's insanely large ego blocked him from anything even remotely related to a proper apology. That was definitely the closest thing I was going to get. He also wasn't going to say it again.

We spent the rest of the walk home in silence, choosing to listen to the noises of everyone else around us, just taking it in. I had a nagging feeling that happy and carefree times such as these would come rarely in the near future.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up and stretched every muscle in my body for a full ten minutes. After I was satisfied that everything was back in order, I decided to take a jog. When I passed the Uchiha's room — or more correctly, _my _room — the bed was made and the curtains were drawn. I was almost certainthat he was at the training fields. I made a note to head there after my little warm-up also. The Jounin exams were lurking nearer and nearer, they will start in a mere week from today.

"Good morning Haruno-san." An elderly man lifted his stick in greeting, baring a toothless grin. I smiled back, waving a hand.

"Good morning to you too ojii-san."

He turned back to yell at some man who wasn't slotting wood firmly enough. Oji-san is a much respected being in Konoha. He had been a fantastic builder; most of the best architectural designs were thought up and set up by him. However, during the Third Great Shinobi War, he had been heavily damaged and his arm had to be amputated. This didn't stop him from continuing to build structures, with the help of his team of course. After the Great War with Pein, everyone was up and about, rebuilding the village to its former glory.

I grimaced when I thought of the Akatsuki. They had been lying low for a while, but even with Pein gone, they should not be trifled with; the existence of the group still had a big question mark about it. Perhaps, with the fall of their leader, they would cease to exist and split up. In that case, would the matter be more troubling or less? A hundred other questions could derive from one possibility, and our village has to be prepared for as many as we can. I could see why Tsunade-sensei needed all the sake.

I glanced towards the Hokage Tower as I passed it; no doubt preparations were going on this minute. If it were three years back, we wouldn't have had to pass a Jounin test at all, instead the rank was appointed. Unfortunately, after a long debate regarding the raising standard and power of our enemies, the allied villages decided to create the exam, since Jounin were after all, sent on A-rank missions or even S-rank at times. The rise of Orochimaru and the infamous Akatsuki had played a large part in this development.

The Jounin exam was split into three parts opposed to four as it was in the Chuunin test. The first part was a practical, to test our leadership and teamwork skills. The second was no doubt interrogation. This stage was more often than not performed by Ibiki Morino himself, one thing I was really not looking forward to, whenever Ibiki was absent, or unable to do this duty, Ino's father steps in. I'm not sure which one I'm more afraid of; the man is utterly loyal to the village and loves his daughter to bits. Yet he would treat her fairly like the rest. Each year, the exams grow increasingly harder. Less than half make it to the second stage and less than a _quarter _of the half walk away from the interrogation unscathed. Some of the rest move on to the next stage, while the remainder is sent to the hospital. Broken minds, broken spirits. It was horrifying watching all these familiar people getting carted in. When they regain their sanity, some even turn their backs on moving forward. The rest grit their teeth, steel their mind and keep training. Loyalty can change someone immensely.

I was worried slightly; however, I had a talent that no one else other than Tsunade-sensei has known of. Not even Kakashi or Naruto. A few years ago, I had found my own two elements.

* * *

_Tsunade regarded me coolly as I lowered my head in disappointment. Thoughts raced through my head, and I found the courage inside me to voice them._

"_Sakura, we can't help it," Tsunade sighed, flicking through her paperwork, "As medics, our first priority is to make sure our teammates are safe."_

"_But, I can't just stand around and run! I've been doing that basically for the whole of my life!" I swallowed hard, "I refuse to do that in the future!"_

_Tsunade looked up, I lifted a trembling chin, ready to be scolded. To my surprise, she gave a little smile and ruffled my hair, "I would've been quite disappointed if you hadn't done that. Alright, lemme tell _you _something. Although a medic's first priority _should _be to turn her back and run — even though Kami knows how many times I've broken that particular rule — it should never stop her from having another element by her side. And I think I know _just _what your elements are Haruno."_

* * *

The old memory of that made me smile again, the memory of her training me in those elements did not. _Those _memories in particular made me want to lie down and have a panic attack.

As I passed the Hyuuga compound, I couldn't help but pause in my tracks. I should go inside and properly apologize to Neji for the way Sasuke acted, because the Uchiha had made it blatantly obvious that he would not do that himself. I didn't want to lose Neji as a friend, or have him eating himself up with guilt.

I walked up to the towering compound and checked thoroughly for the seal on the bamboo gates. When I was satisfied that the seal had been removed, I gingerly stepped through into the compound. My first thought was that everything was _so _clean. I bowed to the few Hyuuga's who were strolling around the middle; they merely inclined their heads before continuing their walk. In a way I was slightly relieved, I had hoped that they weren't too insulted by my rambling — hopefully I could blame it on the influence of sake. I saw Neji closing the sliding door to one of the rooms.

"Neji-san!" I called, ignoring the looks of Hyuuga's around me. When I had reached him, I bowed deeply and said, "I apologize for the way Uchiha acted towards you. It was highly unnecessary."

A second of silence passed, I'm guessing it was from the shock of seeing me within Hyuuga grounds.

"If I am not allowed to do the same to you, then you must not do it either." A wry smile spread across his face, "There is nothing to be forgiven for Sakura-san. It is a lesson for me to handle problems such as that personally in the future, rather than digging someone else's grave instead of my own."

"Nonsense." I protested, "If you need anything like that done again, please don't hesitate to ask me! It was real fun."

He chuckled lightly, walking me over to another room. "I'll consider it. It's a good thing you're here; I was just about to go find you. If you don't mind, Hiashi-sama would like to speak to you."

I felt the color drain out of my face. The words that I said had undoubtedly reached his ears, more or less, I was pretty much screwed.

"Oh, you aren't in any trouble." Neji said, relieving me slightly, the door slid open with a quiet hiss. Hiashi sat quietly with his thighs folded under him, taking a sip from the delicate tea cup in his hand. Neji and I bowed, and he nodded his head briefly before taking another sip. His face was serene as his eyes were lowered to the cup. The room looked like a typical tea ceremony room, a tokomono scroll dangling from the walls and a tatami floor. My first step made a loud cracking sound as I accidentally put my weight on the fragile rice straw. Hiashi's eyes snapped up. Fortunately nothing was broken. I considered just sitting down where I stood, but Neji had already stepped soundlessly in front of Hiashi's tiny tea table and sat down in the same manner. I tried to remember what my mother had taught me about tea ceremony and shuffled along the mat, keeping my body posture straight and formal. Once I had reached the area beside Neji, I sat down on my thighs as well, feet placed uncomfortably under my rear. For a long time, Hiashi did not speak, only took sips from his cup. After a while, he looked up, cup still cradled in his hand, while the other rested in his lap.

"Haruno-san." He acknowledged in his emotionless voice, "Neji informed me of some … incidents which occurred during the Spring festival regarding some Hyuuga females. Is what I was told true?"

I thought about lying, Hiashi's punishment would no way be sweet and understanding. But Neji's eyes warned me not to. "Yes." I said, trying not to flinch under Hiashi's gaze, "But there is no need to take any action, it was just a minor issue."

Hiashi placed the cup on the table in front of him with a small _thunk_, "I'm afraid then, you underestimate the values of my clan Haruno-san." He said, "But I would like to hear the whole encounter if you please. The truth of it. You need not worry about protecting the girls' pride. The punishment given will be just."

I hesitated for a moment, before telling him everything that had happened. At some points, I could have sworn to have seen a slight scowl on his face, but it was gone in a blink.

"I see." He folded his hands on his lap, and then in a louder voice, "You can come in now!"

My head swerved towards the door. The nine girls of yesterday night walked in, heads bowed. A few of them shot me a nasty glare before sitting down.

"Is what she speaks of true? Suzuku?"

The girl beside me tensed, a quavering mouth indicating her indecision. It was the proud girl who never raised a finger in our match yesterday night. I met Hiashi's eyes. As soon as I did, I knew that he already knew the exact truth. Judging from the outraged look the girl had on, she knew it as well.

"It is true," she bit out, her glare never letting up. "Everything you said is true."

The air shifted, the temperature seemed to have dropped a few degrees, and I couldn't wait to get out of here.

"You will apologize immediately." Hiashi growled harshly, "Your families have been informed, and how shamed they are of you. Nine grown ladies of the Hyuuga clan do not act like this, whatever reason. As a consequence, all of you are to be temporarily stripped of your rank and you will take the place of all the maids and servants for two weeks. You will clean, cook, wash as they do. If you are to act like commoners, you will work like commoners." He turned his gaze to Suzuku, "As for Suzuku, your punishment will commence after your participation in the Jounin exams are complete."

I froze, looking at her. She had a grim look on her face, and tilted her chin. "Yes Hiashi-sama."

The girls one by one, muttered a formal apology. I awkwardly accepted them, not quite knowing what to do.

"One more thing, Haruno. I would advise you _not _to get caught up in Neji's plans; your little tales will go unheeded just this once."

I gulped, bowing low. Hiashi had a shadow of amusement on his face, before his clipped voice issued his next instruction.

"That is all. Haruno Sakura, Neji, you may leave. I wish to have one final word with the girls."

I stood up, trying to ignore the utter soreness in my legs and trudged out with Neji. Despite my feeling of relief for clearing up any misunderstandings during the festival, I couldn't help but feel a little astounded by the power of a clan leader. Sure, Ino's father leaked authority, but something was different about Hiashi. Neji appeared to be completely unfazed.

"That went well," he remarked casually, "The punishment could have been worse."

"He knew?" I gaped, ignoring what Neji was saying, "He knew!"

Neji shook his head, "I should have expected it. Very little escapes Hiashi-sama unnoticed."

"I just don't understand how," I glanced at Neji as I limped along, "Just a question, aren't your legs feeling numb or sore?

Neji looked surprised for a minute, "No, are they supposed to be?"

I shrugged; it was probably the social status of the clan. The upper class clans (a.k.a Uchiha and Hyuuga) had to sit through ceremonies for hours, they were all used to this feeling. Meanwhile lower class people (a.k.a Naruto and I) normally sit on the floor laughing over a trivial matter.

However inside the room, Hiashi had unnerved me immensely. Although it had seemed that he was disappointed in the ladies, the emotion in his eyes when he looked at me definitely held some contempt, as if he blamed me entirely for having to give out punishment. It was as though he wasn't telling them off for attacking me, but rather for being less discreet about it. I would have to weary of him and his clan next time we met.

"Whereabouts are you planning on going?" Neji asked, "I will escort you there."

I covered a smile with my hand, knowing that it was hard to turn down Neji's chivalrous act; the Hyuuga's probably did not take well to being rejected.

* * *

We talked for a bit about weaponry, I questioned him about ANBU and what it was like. The answers I received were vague and did not reveal much. We heard the match long before we saw it. A crowd had gathered at the front of the practice arena, squabbling energetically to another. I grinned; no doubt my teammates were giving them the show of a lifetime. I stood onto the branch of a nearby tree to watch, hoping that I wouldn't be shot down by a stray kunai. It had always been interesting watching the two spar. But as soon as I laid eyes on them, the enthusiasm vanished. The match was far from playful as I had initially thought. Both of them were bleeding profusely, up till the point that it would be considered a serious blood loss case in the hospital. It was as though they were going in for the kill. I watched sharply as Naruto bared his teeth at Sasuke, his eyes were starting to become slanted like his Sage Mode, they were being mindless. I gripped the trunk of the tree until the blood had bled out of my hand. No, I must let them handle this; they will know when to stop. I felt my forehead furrow as I continued to watch. I was an inch away from turning away when a sudden chirping filled my ears. Chidori. I quickly flicked my eyes over to Naruto; he had made two bunshins, preparing for an all out Rasengan. Are those two allowing their oversized egos to overrun their common sense? Such an attack would render a normal person hospitalized for a month, but _two _of these insanely powerful attacks colliding would be disastrous. Maybe even to the crowd gathered around them. Although the Uchiha bloodline and the Kyuubi within Naruto enables the two to rehabilitate remarkably quickly, the Jounin exams are a _week _away; they would miss out on vital training, even if they were only bedridden for a few days. I couldn't let that happen. I will not even consider the possibility of being eliminated during the first round.

My brain whirred; I had to stop the two attacks from meeting. I flashed back to that time when I was still genin and had run between the two. Neither had been able to call off the attack, Kakashi had to step in the intervene. At that time, he had stopped it, but only because both attacks were still weak. Maybe now that they were stronger, they would be able to call it off.

I leapt off the branch to land lightly on the training ground. Ignoring the gasps of the crowd behind me, I charged into the middle of the battle holding my arms out.

"Enough!" I said fiercely, "Have you both lost your minds?!" Naruto and Sasuke had kept charging, both their eyes had widened as if they had woken up from a daze. They looked around as if only just realizing what they were doing.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled desperately, his bunshins wriggled as if trying to disappear, "Get out of the way!"

"I can't stop it." Even the Uchiha sounded frantic, as he tried to snuff the Chidori in his hand. I suddenly realized how foolhardy I had been to step into the match like this, now that I was involved, my only choice to stop this was to use my element.

I gritted my teeth, "Both of you are going to pay dearly for making me bring out my best trump card now."

I breathed deeply, knelt and quickly placed both palms on the earth beneath me, injecting chakra into every inch of the soil beneath me. I snapped my arms straight, concentrating on my breathing and shaping a picture into my mind. Two thick walls erupted on both sides of me, just in front of Uchiha and Naruto. I poured more chakra into them; if they weren't strong enough they would break on contact. The villagers had become conscious of the fact that something was wrong, and had started quickly moving away from the training area.

Chidori and Rasengan hit the two walls square in the middle. As soon as I felt the walls starting to crumble, I made more earth rise up to form another layer at the back. It had to be done swiftly, and was rapidly depleting my chakra tank. Finally, the attacks ceased and disappeared. The earth shields crumpled down burnt.

"Woah," Naruto blinked, falling into a sitting position, "That was epic."

The Uchiha just eyed me wearily, as if I was an unsolvable puzzle.

"What were you thinking?" I wheezed, waving a hand to get rid of the debris, "You could have killed everyone here! The exams are in a week, and you thought you could just tear up your bodies in advance?"

"There was some other chakra." Sasuke said quietly, looking around, "It was —"

"Influencing their judgment and control." Neji finished, stepping beside me with his Byakugan activated.

"You brought the Hyuuga along." Sasuke remarked coldly, glaring openly at Neji. In my opinion, he was just pissed off that he was interrupted.

I ignored him, "Where is it coming from? Do we need to hunt this person down?"

"No need." Neji narrowed his eyes, moving into a fighting stance, "They are approaching."

My neck snapped around as I followed his gaze. Sure enough, three tanned shinobis were grinning from a tree — a popular place to observe it would seem. There were two males, one with spiky red hair, another with short bluish locks, both were looking extremely proud of themselves. The female had long black hair up to her waist, a crazy maniacal look in her gray eyes, she was laughing hysterically while clapping. All three were wearing the headband with four diagonal lines. Mist shinobi.

"Well, well," She sneered, a hand under her chin as she swung her legs "Looks like the Leaf Shinobis aren't as great as you say." She leaned in closer to scrutinize Sasuke and Naruto, "Pretty boys, but no brawn."

I painfully got to my feet; everyone else was doing the same. The spiky haired shinobi pointed at me gleefully, "See Daigo? I told ya that there was somethin' else bout that female kunoichi. Told ya so didn't I?"

The blue-guy just smirked, "If it wasn't for _me, _we would have never found out _what _that something was."

The girl waved a hand, "Oh shut up," She answered irritatingly, "Both of you. Let me introduce ourselves," she pointed to herself, "Juri." She pointed to the blue-guy, "Daigo." And jerked a thumb to the red spiked guy, "Tai." She paused for a moment, before she smiled mockingly, "It's very nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you to." I forced a grin, stamping a foot. Cracks ran along a line from my foot all the way to the roots of the tree. The three barely got off the tree in time as it sunk to the ground. "You may be new here, but whilst you are here, you follow Konoha's rules, and treat the villagers with respect." My eyes flashed, "You used chakra to fuel the other two's chakra correct? That way, their chakra magnifies, causing each attack to be more dangerous and, because it was their first time experiencing such a rush, they couldn't control themselves! You could have killed villagers today!"

Juri shrugged, "So what? Getting rid of opposition before the exam starts is acceptable as long as it's done discreetly. Who cares if a few casualties occur along the way? Makes the whole natural-disaster thing seem more believable." She tossed a lot of headbands onto the floor from her bag, "See? We're good at making disasters happen."

"They're here for the exam," Naruto ranted, "They aren't playing by the rules."

"Haruno Sakura, pink haired medic." Daigo said slowly, eyes looking up from the cracks on the ground, "The Hokage's apprentice."

"This will be interesting," Tai grinned, "Let's kill them first in the exam."

They all laughed, and poofed away. The four of us were speechless, even the villagers at the side were lost for words.

"This is dangerous," Neji murmured, "Their chakra levels were unusually high. Perhaps you should leave the exam for next spring."

"No." All three of us retorted. I stared at the spot they had disappeared in.

"The Jounin competitors are coming in now," I said, picking up a fallen headband and brushing my thumb over the three vertical lines, "We're not going to back down after we've trained so hard."

Naruto folded his arms behind his head, "So what?" he asked, "We're just gonna have to kick their butts. And it's not like we can't do it. Teme and I won't fall for the same trick again. Right teme?"

Sasuke grunted. But I wasn't as sure as them. I scooped up the rest of the headbands; they had blood tainted on the fabrics. Not all these shinobi had the luxury of going back to their home village. I felt a bitter taste in my mouth as I turned to face my teammates. Even though I had tried to put on the good ol' emotionless expression, a bit of it must have slipped through. Naruto grinned, slinging an arm around my shoulders.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan," He beamed, giving off his Good-guy-pose, "We're going to pass the exam. Believe it!"

* * *

**~NeXt uP: ChApTeR 11: BaCk iN The ForEsT~**

* * *

**~Japanese Foods — All I could think of was ramen, ramen, and ramen, so here's so variety!~**

***Okonomiyaki — grilled/cooked savory pancake containing various ingredients e.g. Pork/Bacon, octopus, shrimp, veges, spring onion, etc. etc. Basically, the name means "What you like" "What you want" and "cooked/grilled" **

***Taiyaki —Japanese fish-shaped cake, filled with red bean paste. Made with waffle or pancake mix *yum* **

* * *

**~Author's blah~**

**CHAPTER *TEN* COMPLETE! Yes folks, I actually did my homework. Haha. Now that would be a first — I'm normally too lazy do research. So, how are your holidays going? Well, one word for me, two actually. ABSOLUTELY BORING. It's been the **_**pits**_**. Everyday same routine. Get up. Eat. Comp. Eat. TV. Eat. Sleep. LOL, I think I might have to start exercising :S **

**Well, unfortunately, I was signed into a sort of school thing, from nine a.m. to three p.m., so I won't get as much time to write. But I would never wait an entire month to update, don't worry about that. Er, month and a half. Hehe.**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS. THEY ARE MUCH APPRECIATED, THEY REALLY ARE. Don't look at me; I'm crying tears of joy.**

**If you spot any mistakes, please tell me! I'll change them pronto**

**Until the next chapter, **

**Au revoir ;)**

**~CaNdY~**


	11. Back In The Forest

**Hi everyone! I'm SO SO SO SO SO SORRY that it took so bloody long to get this back up. First, the course thing completely killed any spare time that I actually had, and even worse now, my computer's internet has died and gone to heaven, making it impossible to even open Google. :S, but I'll find a way, right now I'm secretly using my parent's computer to upload this. LOL, they will never know.**

**FIRSTLY, before I get into anything else, everyone please recap to the part in one of the previous chapters where the cruel Hyuuga girls got a special audience with Hiashi. Now that idea was actually sent to me from KayeStar, so thank you very much and sorry it took so long to mention you T-T. I sincerely apologize. But it was a brilliant idea and I couldn't have done without! :D**

**Apart from that, thanks to everyone for the reviews! They keep me going!! And I'll start typing the new chapter up ASAP!!**

**CHAPTER ELEVEN FINALLY COMMENCES!!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Naruto. But the guy who does is doing an awesome job!! I DO own these MeltyKiss chocolates. –Drools-**

**

* * *

**

**~ChApTeR 11: BaCk In ThE FoReSt~**

**

* * *

**

After I handed the headbands to a passing Jounin, we started to walk home.

"Sakura," Sasuke said quietly, "Why didn't you tell us you could use an element?"

I bristled defensively, "Because it would have only been in the direst circumstances! I hope to not use it at all in the Jounin exams. It drains all my chakra because it's so undertrained." I held up my bleeding fist, "I barely had enough to send such a crack towards them."

Naruto looked at the fist, chewing his lip, "Drains all your chakra huh?"

"Yup. If I use it, I won't be able to heal you guys. Not even a scratch."

"But that was something cool that you could have done in a desperate time?"

"Yup."

Naruto groaned, "And we just totally blew your trump card out of the water didn't we?"

"Yup." I looked at his fallen face and softened up a little, "But one of them was a brilliant chakra manipulator. There was no way you guys could have broke his control the first time."

"Chakra manipulators are very rare also," Neji added, "They teach us little ways to combat them in the academy."

Naruto and Sasuke both remained sullen, refusing to say a word. There was nothing else to be done.

"Think of it this way," I said, "We have seven days to train enough so we can kick their asses the next time we see them."

They both grunted in response. I turned away, feeling a tad annoyed at their lack of response.

Men, and they say that _we're _complicated.

* * *

"Are you really going to go through with this?" Ino asked worriedly, "Those guys didn't seem all fluffy from what Neji told us."

I waved a bandaged hand, "We'll handle it perfectly, and I'm looking forward to the ass-kicking they've got coming."

"I don't know. When we did our Jounin exams, things were a lot less complicated."

I smiled, "Things have changed. Another challenge, yeah? But we'll pull through."

Ino pursed her lips, "I suppose so. Your team always has the most insane luck."

I laughed, propping my elbows up on her desk, "So, anyway, how's the thing with Shikamaru going?"

"Slowly but I think we're making some progress. He's still too dense to figure things out, even though I'm making it pretty obvious. You wonder how someone with such a high IQ can miss out on such blatant moves."

"Guys are all dense in that area Ino," I sighed, "Or they just don't care. Remember those days with us and Sasuke? He knew pretty bloody well how we felt, but he didn't give a damn."

Ino wrinkled her nose, "Don't remind me. I hope to never revisit those horrid days again. But you two do make a cute couple."

"Don't start on this again Ino, I'm warning you."

"I mean, really. He obvious likes you. Don't be a Shikamaru Sakura."

"Ino," I warned, "This really isn't funny."

"I'm not planning on it being funny!" Ino fired back, "It's just, if you give him a chance maybe you might feel something again."

"I do feel something! Annoyance!"

"No longer anger or hatred?" She asked devilishly. I paused, not quite sure how to respond.

"He's an alright person," I grumbled, "and even if I _do _start liking him again, it would all be in vain. Ino, you're mistaken. He doesn't love me for _me_. He loves my healing skills and chakra control. If I were to date him, just imagine a relationship void of love. I can't do that; I won't be able to live through it."

"You'll just let him slip through your fingers?" Ino probed, "Let some other whore take him? What will happen to you then Sakura? I know that feelings which lasted as long as yours never truly die. I can't see you with another man either, you've rejected countless numbers already. Are you planning to die an old woman?"

"Dying an old woman is better than being caught in a marriage as a concubine. I don't want to live my life like that Ino."

She sighed heavily, blowing a tuft of hair out of her face, "Kami woman, you make me feel so depressed. You're a lost cause, I'm about to give up on you!"

I laughed sharply, "Oh please do."

She gave me a long and hard look, "Just don't get yourself killed okay Forehead?"

I gently bumped her shoulder and grinned, "Don't expect to get rid of me so soon!"

* * *

I breathed in and out again, looking at the crowds of people who were waiting with us. Seven days of training had flown by. I felt sore all over just thinking of them. I smoothed down the edges of the few wood and water techniques I knew. But they were for emergencies only. Instead, I enlisted Lee to help me more with my taijutsu. He was a grueling sparring partner, but had a few good tips hidden in his "Great Lotus of the Youth" speech.

"What do you mean you're not coming with us?!" Naruto yelled, making me turn sharply, "We're a team!"

"Sorry." Sai shrugged, "Turns out the Root training was basically Jounin or ANBU level. They don't see me gaining anything through the exam."

Naruto shouted something unintelligible while Sai smiled his fake grin. I had guessed that fact from the start when Sai ceased to train as vigorously. I looked at all the other groups waiting outside of the double gates, chattering enthusiastically. I shifted from one foot to another watching the sun droop lower and lower, feeling dread starting to creep into me.

_Stop it_, I shook my head, what was I so nervous about? I glanced at the team I was going in with, a nostalgia shooting through me. The forests had been a major turning point in all of our lives. I had become more focused and determined, finally giving my undivided attention in being a good kunoichi. The Sand had attacked Konoha. But the biggest one. Meeting Orochimaru. My eyes flickered to Sasuke who was watching Naruto verbally assault Sai unsuccessfully with a stoic face, and quickly looked away again before he could catch me looking. Every single one of those events had led us to the way we are now. The Forests had created dreadful, yet exciting paths for us, paths that I had walked once, and had no wish to turn back to.

Sai struck Naruto on the cheek, sending him flying in my direction. I stuck out a hand and caught Naruto's collar before he could charge again.

"Sai," I sighed, "Please try not to damage Naruto before the actual exam starts."

"That's right!" Naruto fired, "Don't hit me!"

The edge of my mouth twitched upwards, "Well, if you _do _feel the need to hit him, then try to make sure he doesn't fly into some other team. I think we've made enough strong enemies for now."

I let go of Naruto's collar, ignoring his protests. The Mist shinobi from last week were waiting as well, laughing loudly and throwing insults at the other groups. The girl caught my eye and gave an infuriat1ing wink in my direction. I scowled at her, trying to decide whether anyone would see if I pulled a finger at her. A quiet poof distracted me.

"Sensei!" Naruto's irritated screech made me turn, "You're late!"

"I'm not your sensei anymore." Kakashi said defensively, a ragged Icha Icha sticking out of his pocket, "I uh, well, there was a traffic jam on the fifth road, uh, lots of —"

"Just give it up." I grinned, feeling a little better now that he was here, "You'll never come up with a good excuse."

"Yeah, liar." Naruto stuck his tongue out at Kakashi, "Is it true that Sai doesn't have to take the exam?"

"Yup." Kakashi whipped out the book in one fluid motion, much to Naruto's anger.

"Don't ignore me you perverted sensei!" He yelled, trying to make a grab for the book.

A ringing sound resounded over the whole area, everyone fell quiet immediately. Anko stood proudly in front of the crowd, dressed in her usual attire. A Jounin shouted something which was lost in the chattering crowd. Anko stepped forward, a menacing look on her face.

"Alright you pipsqueaks," She snapped in a loud voice, "Shut up!" She glared at Sand shinobi who was murmuring to his teammates out of the side of his mouth, "You think I'm blind you dumbass?! Or deaf?! If you piss me off, I can take you and your teammate's outta the exam right here right now. Is that what you want?"

The boy gulped shaking his head vigorously. Anko smirked, "That's what I thought. Welcome to the first round of the exams. If it were up to me, half of you shouldn't even be standing here, but that's fine with me, because that half won't even make it halfway through the first round. Lemme tell you all straight off, this exam will be hard. If you're lucky, you'll break a couple of bones. If you're unlucky, you'll die a gruesome death. Obviously, there is to be no killing in this exam unless the opposition leaves you no choice. In this case, the team who shows the first killing intent — if not dead already — will immediately be forced to leave the exam and Konoha. But on the other hand," she pointed a thumb towards the towering trees on the border of the Forest, "This place is known as the Forest of Death for a reason. The people you are competing against ain't your only or most fearsome competition. There are creatures in there you ain't even heard of. And _I _have to clean up the damn area for bodies, so try not to leave too much of a bloody mess behind.

"Now the whole thing is pretty simple. The objective is to cut down big on the numbers. Each team nominates one of their members to wear a sash with their village mark on it, it must be tied around the waist and it must be in plain sight. And this year, we've decided to add something new. A little village rivalry if you'd like. The goal is to get a sash from a team from a different village. Each village will wear a different colored sash to make them more recognizable. Once you have acquired two sashes, you must tie them onto your waist on top of each other, so that all three are seen. If you happen to lose your sash, you must acquire a third sash to make up for it."

"You are allowed to take as many sashes as you want. But you will only need three different colored sashes — of any three colors — to move on to the next round." A murmur swept through the crowd.

"Why would people need more than the required sashes?" Naruto whispered to me. My mouth thinned,

"To cut down on opposition." I replied, "It's a dirty tactic to eliminate other teams so that they don't pass."

"Oh." Naruto blinked, "This sounds pretty fun."

I almost grinned; trust Naruto to think of something that could potentially turn into a bloodbath as fun.

"Who wears the sash?" Sasuke asked quietly.

Naruto looked all too willing to wear it, but although he was very strong, he wasn't an ideal option. Naruto was extremely impulsive, relying on his heart more than his head. He would probably rush headfirst into battle forgetting for a priceless second that he was the most vital part of this mission.

Sasuke however is very cautious and calculating, but he is also a strong offence. With the sash on, he wouldn't be able to show his full potential. It would be like cutting a leg off of a prized bloodhound.

And that just left one person.

"I'll wear the sash." I said clearly, "I can heal myself if I get hurt, and since I'm the medic, it wouldn't be the best idea for me to put myself on the front lines."

Sasuke nodded once before turning his head. A ghost of a smile plastered onto his face. I glanced at Kakashi, who smiled under his mask and patted my shoulder.

"Don't worry Sakura-chan," Naruto exclaimed energetically, "If anything happens, then I'll protect you!"

Sai smiled, "Yeah, dickless will keep you safe."

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME THAT! I HAVE A DI—" The ringing sound started again, silencing the crowd — and thankfully Naruto who had started to turn some heads — once more.

"All members of your team must arrive at the Hokage Tower with your sashes before sunrise on the third day. Anyone who fails to arrive before the due time is disqualified immediately." She turned to look at a nearby Jounin who did a few quick hand signs. Our sashes erupted from the ground on a stand of wood, each with the symbol of our village. The Konoha sash was a bright red. I grabbed the sash and wound it tight around my waist, pinning it together with a few chakra senbons. Custom made. Anko flicked a hand and the gates slowly creaked open. "You may start now."

Everyone swarmed towards the gates; hands reaching for any branch as a lever to swing themselves up. The three of us quickly said farewell to Sai and Kakashi.

"Let's go after them," Naruto said energetically, "We can take a sash right now and head straight for Hokage Tower!"

I whacked him on the head, "Naruto, we're not going up against wannabe chuunin anymore." I said, "I mean come on, everyone here is Jounin and would have suitably prepared for this exam. Plus, there are too many people right now. We could get in the middle of a massive battle because of the fact that we hardly know any one here. So, we can't go head first."

"What are we supposed to do then?" He looked around, "Oh man, they all left."

"We'll find a place to settle down for the night." Sasuke said easily, pointing in an easterly direction, "Only a few teams went this way."

* * *

"Wow, this place is cool!" Naruto exclaimed, walking straight into the gap between the roots of a tree, "Hey! There's an echo!"

He made some loud noises, causing the birds roosting at the top of the tree to fly away. I ignored him and picked up some of the dry soil and rubbing it between my fingers. No team had come across this terrain…yet.

"Keep it down dobe; we don't want to invite the other teams to where we are, do you?" The Uchiha growled, closing his eyes to scour the area for any chakra signs. He set his pack down on the ground, and I followed his example, rubbing my sore shoulders.

"We can only sleep for about few hours — maybe around four." I murmured, "More would be wasting time, less would be too little to replenish any lost chakra."

Naruto poked his head out of the trunk of the tree, "Well, I'm not tired, and my chakra tank is full. How about you guys?"

I shrugged, "I'm loaded."

The Uchiha just grunted in response, "I saw quite a few chakras clashing today, meaning many teams have already taken up the opportunity to fight."

"That means chakra levels will be quite low," I remarked thoughtfully, "We could easily find a team who might be depleted and take them down."

I grimaced, we didn't love the dirty tactic but if we were hoping to pass into the next round, it was all we had. I picked my pack off the ground, dusting it and fastening it to my shoulders.

"We have to be discreet," I whispered, climbing up the tree, "And remember to look out for any other creatures."

"If we see them, we run right?" Naruto asked, Sasuke and I nodded. As quietly as we could, we jumped from branch to branch, the Uchiha occasionally making a few hand signals for directions to the nearest chakra signal.

In the end, we saw them. An ocean blue sash evident in the sea of brown and green. The members of the team appeared to be sleeping. Naruto cracked his knuckles.

"Alright, like taking candy from a baby. Let's go in." He leapt off the tree branch before we could hold him back.

"Naruto!" I hissed, feeling a strange empty feeling as I scoured the area.

"Don't worry!" He answered in a loud whisper, "I'll be careful of the traps."

But that wasn't what was bugging me. I should be sensing chakra, but I only felt one. It was impossible to fully guard your chakra signals while you were asleep. But Sasuke definitely wouldn't lead us to a lone signal. I glanced at the Uchiha, whose Sharingan had fully activated. He also knew something was amiss. One of the Uchiha's strands of hair twitched to the right; completely different to the way the wind was coming from. His left arm reached out, looped around my waist and pulled me in. The right hand immediately grasped his katana and slammed it forward into the stomach of a Mist shinobi. One of the clones had disappeared. By then, I had reacted and thrown myself away from the battle, quickly checking that the sash was still attached to me. Quickly leaking some chakra into my eyes, I found a hidden shinobi in the shadows of the trees. A spot of bright blue, but definitely short, cropped hair. It wasn't the female.

"Naruto!" I shouted, "Attack the girl! The other one is a clone!"

Naruto's shruiken whistled straight into the 'sleeping' girl, only to have her disappear in a poof of smoke. That left one shinobi, the one that I had sworn was up there in the trees. My mind whirred into place; the girl had performed a Transformation Jutsu. Using his momentary pause as an advantage, she had crept up on Naruto and had surprised him with a stab in the arm with a kunai. I glanced at the shinobi in the shadows; he gave me a satisfied smirk. I scowled at him, trying to find a way to get out of here, knowing that the Sasuke and Naruto couldn't protect me at the instant. However, with one leap, he was in front of me, one eye hidden by his forehead protector.

"You think we're so stupid don't you?" He spoke jeeringly, "To sleep unguarded? We knew that one team would try this. The perfect plan."

I glanced at the sash on his waist. It was tied as tightly as mine was. I won't be able to get it off without a fight. Sasuke was still trying to outdo his opponent, who was evidently no fool either. Naruto was too far to help. I turned and leapt off the branch, creating five bunshins as I fell. We landed on the ground, far enough away from Naruto and the rest. The shinobi landed in front of me, eyes narrowed at the multiple Sakura's.

"Alright." I grinned, six mouths talking at once. "Let's get this party started."

I lunged in with four bunshins, leaving one looking determined lagging at the back. The shinobi ducked under the first three and made a beeline for the one at the back, mistakenly thinking that it was me.

It was just as I had expected, Neji himself had fallen for the same trick in the chuunin exams.

In a quick motion, I crouched and swept my foot in an arc, catching the back of his knees causing him to trip into the ground. I stabbed a kunai into his right thigh and kicked his abdomen. He flew right into a tree, a loud cracking sound as a few bones broke. I walked forward, still keeping my bunshins just in case. Just as my fingers were an inch from wrapping themselves around his sash, his hand shot out and broke my wrist in my easy movement.

"You little whore." He wheezed, wiping the blood from a corner of his mouth with his other hand, "I ain't going to go easy on you anymore."

I thrust out a palm, luckily catching him unawares and breaking his nose. I withdrew the hand quickly just in case he decided to dislocate it. Just as I was feeling slightly smug for being proactive, he disappeared completely from my sight.

The signature Kirigakure no Jutsu had been activated. A thick layer of white surrounded me, seemingly trying to get down my throat and choke all the air out. I kept a hand on my sash, trying blindly to find a way out. But the only thing I could do in a situation like this was to wait for him to come to me. I focused on chakra signals, but he was hiding it well. I swung cautiously in a slow circle, anxiously waiting for even the slightest movement which might give him away.

The fog rippled slightly and I instinctively raised my arms, only to feel the jolt of a shuriken which had buried itself in my back. The opponent was obviously not dumb enough to get into close combat with me. A volley of shruiken and kunai were whistling through the air, I dodged as best as I could but was unable to avoid a blow to the arm, hand and calf. Without thinking, I let a small pool of chakra trickle into my fists. I had to keep more chakra in order to heal Naruto and Sasuke. I jumped up and slammed my fists into the ground. The ground split, and the air around the destroyed land become clearer, meaning that I had somewhat hurt the shinobi with that attack. He would be releasing chakra any minute now to thicken the mist again. Just as I had expected, chakra flared up momentarily from one side of the forest — slightly easterly to where I was facing, I injected some more chakra into my feet and used my full force to tackle him. We both went flying and slammed into the ground. He looked unconscious, but I pressed the pressure point at the back of his head just in case. I pulled the sash off of his waist and stumbled through to find the others, placing the sash above our Konoha one.

Sasuke was helping Naruto with the girl, his previous opponent looking pretty badly burnt. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of me, with the blue sash tied firmly around my waist. In her moment of hesitation, Sasuke neatly bonked her on the back of the head, causing her to crumple immediately.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto panted, his wounds healing extraordinarily fast — courtesy of the Kyuubi of course — "You're hurt."

I shrugged and took a glance at Sasuke, who had one broken rib, a black eye and a few bruises and kunai buried in his skin. Running a hand over his wounds, I healed him decently, before turning to my own injuries. Naruto helped me to my feet.

"One down," He beamed enthusiastically, "One more to go."

We sighed, walking achingly back the route we had come from. A light shifting sound came from the ground. And then again, and again, getting faster each time.

"What's that?" I glanced back, a roar echoed loudly behind us.

"Some creature," Sasuke broke into a run with us following close behind him, "Our battle must have disturbed it."

I gulped; it was definitely when I smashed my fist into the ground. The shake of _that _must have woken up surrounding animals. This could not be good.

"Climb up here!" I shouted, moving up the trunk of a nearby tree, I had barely enough chakra to keep me upright. Just in the nick of time, a freakishly large tiger leapt forward through a brown shrub, making slight dents in the ground. Its small eyes turned to the three of us and narrowed.

"We're safe up here." Naruto declared, "Tigers aren't that smart."

"Naruto," I chattered nervously, starting to move again, "Tigers can climb trees."

He paled, "Oh yeah, forgot about that."

The tiger snorted angrily as it stalked towards us, Sasuke pulled us all along, running on top of a thick trunk. The tiger easily dug its claws into the trunk and pulled itself up, getting faster as it went along. Normally, most animals would have given up. But this tiger seemed determined to get us. In one leap, it was on the branch, not breaking a stride as it sped towards us.

"Holy shi-t!" Naruto hollered as we leapt desperately from one branch to another.

"Get lower!" Sasuke shouted, jumping easily onto the branch below him, and again. I totally admired his stamina, I almost felt like I should just stop and tell the tiger to eat me and get it over with. But my legs kept pumping and the adrenaline never stopped flowing. The tiger's steps were getting heavier and louder to my ears with each minute.

The wind whistled harshly as we took yet another leap, this time the tiger easily followed. He was going faster still. Oh Kami, I prayed desperately, if you keep me alive, I swear I will never, ever, voice my complaints to you about Sasuke again, not out loud anyways.

And then, as the three of us leapt to another branch and found that the entire branch stretched over a large pool, which seemed black even under the moonlight. As carefully as we could, we ran towards the end, hoping to get there in time. The tiger jumped onto the branch, its weight violently vibrating the wood underneath us. We were thrown to the side and plummeted, staring straight down at a calm lake.

The tiger had somehow managed to cling on with all the claws dug in. The three of us looked at each other in slight surprise before the dark waters enveloped us. Bubbles burst out of my mouth as I tried to claw my way back to the surface. My body ached even more than it had before. I kept a hand firmly on the sashes and kicked with all my might. The heavy pack just made it harder to get back up. Just as I was about to run out of air, a hand grabbed mine and pulled me hard. I spluttered, looking at the Uchiha who was carefully scanning the waters.

"Thanks," I gasped, then looked around feeling frantic, "Where's Naruto?" I looked around wildly. But the yellow head was no where in sight. A loud roar rang in my ears. The tiger didn't want to get wet and was slowly retreating back to its home.

"Naruto!" I shouted, ignoring the chatter in my teeth, "Naruto!!"

There was no reply. Sasuke gently took my arm.

"Let's go back to shore," He said tensely, "It would be safer to look in the morning."

I was about to snap at him, to yell at him. How could he leave Naruto behind? The moonlight caught onto his stoic face, and for once, his eyes betrayed him. Anxious and hurt. As if saying those words harmed him. His eyes were darting around the waters, even as he spoke. I realized that he wanted to find Naruto as badly as I did, but the time and place was not right.

"Alright," I said softly, "We'll look in the morning. He's a really strong swimmer, he'll be somewhere along the other side of the shore."

The two of us slowly swam back to shore. When I took the first step out of the water, the cold hit me like a knife to my lungs. I panted; the wind blew harshly, sending cold shivers that crept up and down my body.

The Uchiha unzipped our packs and emptied them of the water inside.

"F-Fire." I stuttered, tripping about, picking up some fallen logs. Sasuke nodded, puffing up his lips and blowing a stream of fire onto the pile of logs. We silently rubbed the warmth back into our shoulders, constantly checking the surface of the lake, hoping that Naruto's head would break through the surface. I'd almost expected him to have ambushed us when we were climbing back to shore, with the sheepish grin and the, "What took you guys so long?"

"Eat." The Uchiha thrust a can out to me and a spoon, but all of a sudden I didn't feel so hungry.

"Do you think he found food?" I asked quietly. Sasuke didn't look at me when he replied.

"Maybe. But his Kyuubi will keep him alive."

At least that part was guaranteed. I tore open the metal lid of the can, and shoved the spoon in. It would be ideal to replenish most; if not all my chakra tonight so that I may heal any upcoming injuries we may have tomorrow. This exam is exactly like a real mission, and I must not fail or abandon my duties.

"I'll guard first," I announced, looking at the pitch dark sky, "I'll wake you after three hours."

"No," Sasuke said firmly, feeding more logs into the fire, "You need the sleep more than I do, I'll guard first."

I grumbled lightly but didn't complain anymore. The second I lay my head on the moist sand, I was asleep.

* * *

My mind screamed at me to wake, telling me that I had been asleep for almost four and a half hours. I checked my chakra tank, and was satisfied to find it full to the brim. Sasuke poked at the fire, turning to look at me when I crawled up.

"You were meant to wake me in three hours," I said wearily, feeling a warm layer of fabric on me. A blanket, dried and comfortable, "Thanks for the blanket." I added hastily.

He shrugged, "I lost track of time."

"Don't pick up dumb habits from Kakashi, you're just as bad at lying as he is," I said, smiling a little and throwing him the blanket, "Get some sleep, I'll wake you up in three hours."

"Two and a half." Was the muffled reply from his still figure. I shook my head unable to believe the stubbornness of the males in my team. My gaze wondered over to the forlorn shores, and once again prayed to Kami that he was alright.

* * *

Watching the Uchiha sleep wasn't part of what I wanted to do, so after the first hour had passed, I injected chakra into my eyes to see if I could spot Naruto. Instead, I found three people rapidly approaching from the North. They were tall and wiry, cloaked in white. Their sashes were hidden between the folds of their cloaks, but I'd rather not wait and risk being attacked.

"Sasuke!" I whispered, shaking him, "Wake up! There's a team heading here." I glanced at the dying fire, "It must've been the smoke."

He sat up without a complaint and pulled on his pack. We had approximately five good minutes to get as far away as we could, and we could use it wisely. But I wanted to at least take a good walk around the perimeter of the pond to see if I could find Naruto.

"Let's go." Sasuke said, not looking in the direction of the forest, but also at the pond, "We'll make it."

I grinned at him and we both darted off. Sasuke activated his Sharingan as we leapt from the border side trees.

My heart dropped as we went further and further around the perimeter. Still no sign of Naruto.

All of a sudden, the Uchiha paused in his tracks.

"Chakra, there." He mouthed, leaping off the tree and onto the smooth rocks. I followed in example, heart racing and my mouth dry, even though I could see nothing. But after a few steps, the chakra hit me like a bomb, fiery and large. It was almost painful to sense.

"It's the Kyuubi," I whispered, keeping my pace, "It must have come out yesterday after Naruto fell into the river. But why?"

"No idea." Sasuke replied, "We'll find out soon enough."

Just as that was said, a shower of kunai's landed beside us.

"Shit." I leapt aside. There was no doubt now. Sasuke peered upwards towards the trees,

"I don't think it's dangerous yet, the control over the body seems to be wavering." He pulled out his katana, "But even though Naruto 's putting up a good fight, he's tired."

"I'll go up." I said, getting ready to race up the tree and bring Naruto back.

"No," Sasuke replied calmly, pulling a scroll out of his bag, "Kakashi gave this to me. It's the sealing scroll; I'll go up and calm him down, stay here and keep guard."

Without even waiting for me to answer, he leapt up the tree, climbing so high that I couldn't even see him anymore. I fidgeted nervously as the seconds passed. Suddenly, the chakra died to a small flame and Naruto's body came crashing through the branches, landing heavily on the stones.

Sasuke leapt down from the trees, directing his head at Naruto. I rushed over to heal him.

"Naruto?" I called softly, sending some chakra to his head. He groaned, Sasuke jumped down from the tree and pulled at my arm.

"We have to go now," He scowled, "That baka took up more time that I had expected."

Although his words were uncaring, the relief on his face was clear. I slung Naruto over my shoulders and obediently ran in after him.

Naruto groaned even louder when his head started banging on my shoulders, but hey, it was no picnic for me either.

"What's going on?" I shouted to the Uchiha, "They should be off our tracks by now shouldn't they?"

He increased his speed, "No, they're still tailing us. They're purposely following us."

"Why?"

"How should I know?"

An explosion decimated everything that was within three kilometers behind us. The enemies were gaining. I stopped and jumped down from the trees, laying Naruto gently on a pile of moss with a broad trunk supporting his back. Sasuke jumped down a while later also.

"What are you doing?" He demanded furiously, "This is costing us time."

"No!" I retorted, healing what I could for Naruto and Sasuke, "It's _giving _us time. We will be ready for them when they come and I can't carry Naruto for such a long distance. If they truly are tracking us specifically, then they won't stop. We might as well face them head on and get the first strike."

Sasuke clenched his fists, "Aa." He turned his face up, "Let's prepare then."

I grinned, making sure that the sashes were tied on tightly and shifting into a fighting stance. There was no avoiding actual combat this time.

Instead of kunais and whatever other traps being sent from above, the three members actually leapt to ground level. The bright red sash stood out amongst the rest of their pale clothing. The three members had their faces covered with a white hood.

"Haruno Sakura," A jeering voice rang out as the one in the middle lifted her hood, "I thought I'd find you here."

I tensed, I knew this voice and I knew that face.

"Hyuuga Suzuku." I snarled, "What the hell do you want?!"

She brought down the hood, but her two partners remained unidentified, "To exact revenge of course. Since the…incident at the Spring Festival, I have been dreaming of this day. To be defeated by a girl whose clan pales in comparison to our own, it is a shame. I was ridiculed and looked down on; this is my chance to restore my honor and my pride." She leered at me with cold, pale eyes, "Don't think that I won't do whatever it takes to bring your filth-encrusted name down."

Sasuke made a noise from the back of his throat, her eyes slid over to him and narrowed even further.

"Is your knight in shining armor going to do your dirty work again Haruno?"

"No, I don't plan to but," I held my hands up, "We can settle this another time can't we? We're on a time limit and they won't accept a sash from the same village."

"I don't know," Suzuku replied coldly, "We could always give it to another team; they'd be willing to accept such a valuable item."

"What do you want then? A one on one battle?"

Suzuku and her companions laughed, "No," she said piercingly, "I want your blood to spill."

Her hand twitched, and a kunai missed me by a hair's breadth, cutting a small wound on my cheek. I put slammed a foot into the ground which cracked and split open. One of her companions was flung aside. In their moment of hesitation, I flung eight kunai's, three of them managed to pierce Suzuku. She was definitely the weakest link. She screamed in fury. The other two lifted the hoods of their cloaks to reveal pearl white eyes. All three of them were Hyuugas.

"This is real bad," I said under my breath to Sasuke.

"You're the one who wanted to fight." He muttered back. I gulped. Fatal mistake for me and my team it would seem.

"It's for honor isn't it?" I asked scornfully, "If so, why get us when our numbers are uneven."

Suzuku looked pointedly at me, "Fights of honor don't have to be fair. We never _planned _on playing fair."

Her look wavered to the side of me; I followed her gaze and found that one of her companions had pressed a kunai to Naruto's throat.

"Now don't move," He warned in an emotionless voice, "Or my hand might just slip."

Sasuke backed into me; we both glanced at each other.

Suzuku limped forward and looked directly at me, "If you let us beat you a little, then we'll let your friend go. If you refuse or attempt to attack, your friend," she nodded towards Naruto, "dies."

Sasuke looked at me, and I looked at the Hyuuga holding Naruto. He pressed the kunai in deeper, and a trickle of blood rolled down his neck. Naruto, one of my best friends, and the possible future Hokage at the Hyuuga's mercy. It was only going to sting, I decided and swallowed hard.

"Sasuke," I gritted my teeth, taking off my sashes and handing it to him, "As soon as they start, take Naruto and run."

"Oh no," Suzuku said, grinning, "They will watch you and feel your pain. When we say we're done, we'll leave."

His hand wrapped itself around mine in a vice-like grip. "Don't be stupid." He hissed.

"Hurry," Suzuku snapped, "Five seconds."

I glanced at Naruto who was still unconscious, "I'm not being stupid, I can't trade Naruto's life for something so trivial, trust me."

His eyes bore deep into mine before slowly releasing his grip. Suzuku's smile widened. I steeled my resolve.

_Oh Kami, this is going to hurt like hell._

_

* * *

_

**~NeXt Up: ChAPtEr 12: OuT iN ThE OpEn~**

**

* * *

**

**~AuThOrS BLaH~**

**PHEW! Finally done! I hope that was good enough to satisfy you all, especially after such a long delay. Sorry again for it taking so long. I will definitely try my best, but I cannot promise a fast update for the next chapter. –Winces- which I know isn't good enough, but once again, I will try. xD**

**If any ideas, or thoughts, please send me a message or a review! Any constructive criticism is welcome as always!**

**Until the next chapter!! xPP**

**Ciao!**

**~CaNdY~**


	12. In The Open

**Hey everyone, it's been ages!! Yes, I have been a bad writer, so so sorry!! –bows repeatedly– **

**Yes, here's the long overdue chapter, apologies for my completely unreliable updating . Hopefully people haven't given up completely on me, lol. **

**Thanks so much for the reviews on the previous chapter!! And to everyone who has hung in there, even if you have cursed me on several occasions :S –enter sheepish laugh– **

**Well, not much left to say, but enjoy the chapter! Hope it was worth the wait! ;)**

**COMMENCE CHAPTER TWELVE! — It's a mega long chapter, so grab a drink or something, I think I slightly went OTT this time . —**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto –sighs–… would you like some chocolate? HAPPY EASTER!!!**

* * *

**~ChApTeR 12: OuT iN ThE OpEn~**

* * *

_Calm yourself Sakura_._ Remember, pain is only something of the mind. It does not have to hurt and it does not have to scar. Focus on nothing, steel your heart and block out your mind. And you will feel nothing._

* * *

I gritted my teeth. It was the start of a very long lecture from my mother when I was young. I was finding a way to delete pain from my life after the encounter with Sasuke leaving the village. It was cowardly, but I had thought that if the pain was eliminated, maybe my love would fade as well.

* * *

_But to do this, is wrong, it's inhuman. Once the nerves to pain are cut off, you will think you are healthy and well, even when you are inches away from death. As punishment, your body deceives may think that you are invincible, that nothing will touch you. But it is opposite to that, experience will pass you by because you have blocked yourself from the world. Those people, they never learnt their lessons, never looked after their body and never nurtured their mind. You must remember that pain is not your enemy, even if it is not your friend. Pain is your _teacher_, it will teach you to treasure more, love more, and learn to avoid the mistakes you once made._

* * *

I waited impatiently as one of the Hyuugas bound my hands behind my back, my eye on Naruto the entire time. They would not hesitate to kill and they would not care either. Suzuku was twisted in the mind as it was, and also a smooth liar. If they were caught, I did not know whether Hiashi will side with them or not. But I didn't want to find out.

"Let's say, a hundred strikes in total." Suzuku grinned wildly. Sasuke lurched forward only to be stopped by the Hyuuga pressing the kunai closer to Naruto's throat. Sasuke's face darkened.

"I hope you don't regret it," He murmured darkly, "one day, I'll return the favor in threefold."

"Now, now, Uchiha," Suzuku smiled coldly, "Be civil won't you? Seventy-five strikes will be enough anyway." It was nice to see that she was still a little frightened of the Uchiha. She turned back and struck me in the back. A swift kick to the stomach, and a foot crushing onto my thigh. My vision waned in and out, white spots clouding over my eyes.

* * *

_Pain is my teacher_.

* * *

A heel dug into my stomach. Ouch, can't say that didn't hurt. What a day to be wearing high heels.

* * *

_It teaches me to right my wrongs. To be stronger. _

* * *

I watched Naruto whenever I could, just in case the Hyuuga had a thirst for blood. To my surprise, his head was turned away from the scene, kunai seemingly pressed more gently than before. A fist crushed my rib bones. I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming, this was already embarrassing enough, if I started howling like a banshee I would never live it through. Suzuku laughed as her palm forced the back of my head down and dug it into the dirt. She sat heavily on my back as I spat out the disgusting taste of soil.

"You peasants should stay where you belong," She said, grinning, "At my feet."

"Suzuku-san," The other Hyuuga said, sounding a little uneasy, "I think that should be enough. Let's just take her sash and be done with it."

Suzuku turned to snarl at them, "You cowards!" She snapped, before looking at me again, "I just want to have a little fun before I leave."

I averted my head, readying myself for another round. I checked up on Naruto again. And that's when I saw it. A slight twitch of his eye. I stared in disbelief but not a single movement followed after that one. It must have been my imagination.

"Why aren't you in pain?!" Suzuku shrieked in angst, "You low leveled filth!"

Best scenario — Naruto is conscious, but he can't attack when I am getting thrown around. Worst scenario — Naruto isn't awake, it was all in my head and my next move is going to be my biggest mistake. I decided to go with the best for once. Knowing that I had to do something.

I tore free of the binds on my hands and grabbed Suzuku's white coat. From the corner of my eye I saw Naruto grab the Hyuuga's arm and twist it behind his back making a sharp cracking sound. The white coat tore from Suzuku's shoulders and I tossed it away. Just as I had thought, her team had already obtained a second sash. It was yellow, of the Sand. I placed my hands on the ground and pushed, allowing myself to unsteadily land back on my feet. Veins sprouted from the side of Suzuku's eyes, one of her hands instinctively moving towards her sash.

I reached into my pouch and grabbed a kunai, and lunged. But I saw double of everything, my head still in a daze. She easily flipped me and left me choking for air.

A fireball erupted from beside me and an arm scooped me out of her way. Sasuke lay me down by the tree trunk.

"Stay." He ordered, as if talking to a dog. I exhaled heavily and forced myself to relax, sending a few surges of chakra through my body. I felt the wounds start to close up, slowly but surely. Even though my face felt numb, I could still feel the thickness of my eye which had obviously swollen up.

"You know," I heard Naruto say; "I normally don't beat up girls, but you're really asking for it. I don't suppose you'll mind if I pretend that you're a guy for just a few seconds would you?"

_Yeah! _I wanted to shout, _Beat their sorry asses!_

But the more I watched, the more I was sure my encouragement wasn't needed, the two were doing a perfect job. Naruto finished by hooking one of the Hyuugas onto a tree branch, giving him a painful wedgie. It was almost a comical scene to see a proud Hyuuga spinning slowly on a branch, with a pair of flowery underpants hanging out. Naruto raised an eyebrow when he caught us looking at him.

"What?" He demanded, "Revenge comes in many different forms you know."

I laughed lightly, before climbing to my feet, "But you could have done that without beating them within an inch of their life."

Hey, someone had to at least pretend that they cared.

He frowned at the unconscious figures, "Many forms _and_ many levels." He corrected himself. Sasuke was untying the two sashes tied to Suzuku's waist. He tossed the yellow one to me and stared at the red one for a while.

"And what are _you _doing?" I asked curiously, painfully reaching out an arm to catch the sash and tie it to my waist. The Uchiha shrugged before closing his fist over the red sash. For a second nothing happened, and then the sash erupted into flames, the ashes of which scattered over the ground.

"Nice one!" Naruto beamed, patting Sasuke vigorously on the back, "Spoils of war."

I shook my head in slight amusement, since when did my teammates become so merciless towards their defenseless opponents? Oh yeah, they pull something personal into this battle. But still, were we being just a tad too over the top? I stepped heavily, onto the stomach of the last Hyuuga member.

Oops, my bad.

* * *

Well, it turns out that I had broken my ribs, both of them and I didn't have enough chakra to fix them. Meaning pain, pain and more pain. But there was no way I was going to be a nuisance again. Somehow I managed to follow them all the way back to a comfortable resting spot without crumpling.

I found a spot to sit down in and tried my hardest to look casual while digging up for more chakra. Naruto had gone off doing some 'exploring', Sasuke strolled over and knelt down in front of me.

"What do you want?" I asked harshly, squirming uncomfortably under his gaze.

He poked me hard in the ribs, and I could hardly breathe right with the pain shooting through my entire body.

"Hn." He grunted, eyes narrowing, "Did that hurt?"

"No," I croaked, letting my pride overtake my sense of logic. Goodbye common sense, hello ego.

"Oh really now." The sarcasm was really laid on thicker than what I thought was necessary. He poked my other rib causing another burst of pain, "How about that?"

"Maybe…a little…" I gasped, gingerly clutching my side. Sasuke sighed heavily before running a hand with a weak blue pulse over my ribs. I felt some air come back into my lungs.

"Thanks," I murmured, ignoring the fact that my knuckles were turning white from gripping onto my dress too tightly. The healing process was slow and careful, but in a way it made me feel more worth my weight in the team. If he was completely trained in healing as well as offensive skills, I didn't know what might happen.

"It was foolish." He said stoically, I could have sworn he actually sounded a little pissed, "A medic should not rely on others to be healed. Unwise and stupid."

I lost that fuzzy feeling immediately, "Okay, it probably wasn't the best choice. But what, would you rather Naruto die? Is that how things would have been better? Wise and clever perhaps?"

"They wouldn't have done it!"

"And you would wait to find out?!"

"If this was a real mission, this would be a fatal mistake."

"Even if it was the real mission, I would've done exactly what I just did!"

We exchanged glares. After the ribs were considerably healed, he rapidly stalked off to who-knows-where. I thumped the ground in anger; did he really still hold his teammates in such a low rank?! Naruto poked his head from around the corner, eyes blazing in anger.

"Sakura-chan, you shouldn't have done that!"

"Were you eavesdropping?" I asked sharply, turning my glare to him. For once, he yelled straight back.

"What you did wasn't necessary! You and teme should have just left straight away! You could have gotten seriously —"

I gave out an exasperated sigh, "I already heard this from te— Sasuke! If you're going to yell some more, just go away."

Naruto's face softened slightly, "Teme was right though. But because you did it because of me, I feel very flattered but also slightly worried. You can't self-sacrifice all the time."

"I know." I grumbled, feeling a little out of place. I was being lectured by _Naruto_. What is the world coming to? The next thing I know, Sasuke could actually be displaying obvious _emotion_. I shudder to even think about it.

Naruto patted my shoulder gently and left. It was bad. The guilt hit me five minutes after he left, like it always does. Sasuke had actually looked very worried. And he _had_ taken the detour around the entire forest to look for him. He had gotten Naruto down even though he was risking his own life. He had even healed me, even though it might have been because he didn't want someone dragging the team. No matter how I look at it, my argument was unjustified and unfair.

I scowled at the ground; I hate it when I start to contradict myself. I always end up in the wrong.

* * *

We had decided to catch up on a bit of sleep even though it was still in the afternoon. After a few hours, we would head to the Hokage Tower and end the first round. We had to keep chakra levels full just in case we ran into some ambushes, although the Uchiha had stated that a few nearby chakra signals had disappeared fully. Meaning that either some were killed already — Kami forbid — or removed from the exam altogether. Speaking of Sasuke, I was still trying to figure out the least degrading way to apologize to him.

"I'm sorry." I chanted quietly, poking anxiously at the fire. It was my turn to keep watch while they slept. I huffed in frustration; it was hard to admit that I made a mistake and to actually say sorry. But to attempt those to the Uchiha? It was like adding insult to injury.

I quietly abandoned my fire-poking and tread lightly to where the Uchiha slept. I took one glance at the expressionless face and decided to give up.

"He's asleep." I muttered, and then paused. If I ranted it out right now, I might be able to get rid of most of the guilt. I can give him the more toned down and cool version later. I knelt so that I was facing his back.

"I'm sorry. What I did was wrong and unreasonable, I should have never said any of those things, and you were right about everything and I just wasn't even thinking clearly. And I am really sorry." I let it all go in one breath, "Of course, you can't hear this, and you'd probably never hear this since you're asleep and all, but I think that you've really changed and I _am _very impressed. Obviously the chances of me falling in love with you again are still close to nil, and I hope you understand that."

I sighed and got to my feet, feeling lighter and more stress-free than usual. Well. That worked surprisingly well. I resumed my fire-poking duties.

* * *

Sasuke interrupted me to take over the watch. I took a deep breath and briefly apologized for my actions. Obviously nothing as flashy and flowery as I had said before, but the Uchiha accepted it without a further word. Content, I lay down to sleep.

* * *

I shook Naruto awake, "Hurry up sleepyhead, we have to start heading for the Hokage Tower _now_."

"Whassamatter…" Naruto murmured. Sasuke was less tolerant and gave the blond a hefty kick.

"Let's go." He ordered, "Before desperate teams start to gather at the Tower."

We cautiously travelled right through the Forest with Sasuke leading the way. We had to hide about three times and cover our chakra to avoid teams who were still looking for sashes. In the end, we finally made it the Southern Gate of the Forest, where the Hokage Tower stood.

"Ye-ah!" Naruto hollered, "We made it!"

"Naruto." I warned, feeling a prickling sensation on my neck and suddenly felt my chakra rise a few notches, I quickly discharged some of it into the ground. It was obvious who was waiting for us.

"Well, well, well. Look who finally showed up." The obnoxious redhead came out of her hiding spot. I shifted into defensive stance.

"Relax pinkie." She said, waving her hand, "For once, we ain't picking a fight alright?"

"You've been waiting there for a long time." Sasuke stated stoically. Juri pointed a thumb at the Uchiha.

"See?" She exclaimed loudly to Tai, "I like this guy, why can't you guys be more observant? Tai, you're a tracker ain't ya? You could never do this."

Tai glared at the Uchiha and stuck his tongue out at Juri, "I never thought it was important."

"Yeah sure," Juri piped, then turned her attention back to us. I inwardly groaned, damn, that could have been a good time for us to sneak away.

"But anyhow, I just want you to know, we're only not killing you because we just can't risk being taken out of the competition right now. However, in the one-to-one matches, everything's bound to change right?" She gave us a feral grin, "And I have to tell ya'all right now. I can't _wait _to taste your blood."

Her group disappeared before we could retort. Naruto cussed and kicked at the tree.

"Who the hell do they think they are?!" He hollered. I grabbed his arm and started pulling him away.

"Let's go." I growled, "We can pay them back in the second round, but we've got to get there first."

Naruto grunted in agreement before taking the lead, "Definitely. Who are they to think they can beat me…" He muttered. I shook my head with a smile, sometimes I worry for that boy. I really do. But then again, when Juri had lifted her arm to point her finger, I had seen six sashes firmly tied to her waist. Judging from the minimal prescence of wounds, her team had easily disposed of the other teams, and may be a bigger threat than we had realized.

* * *

Kakashi cocked a brow when he saw us coming out of the gate, "You're still alive." He said simply. Naruto glared at him.

"Sensei! Aren't you even going to congratulate us?!"

"Well." Kakashi whipped out the ever famous orange book, "You're _my _students after all, for you to pass the first round doesn't really deserve a congratulations." He smiled lazily as he observed our ragged look, "Of course, if you were a bit _cleaner_, maybe I would've reconsidered."

"Hey! _You _try bathing through an infested lake someday!"

"I pass."

"You!" Naruto spluttered, "It wasn't an option for us!"

"But I'm a sensei, and thus I have the power."

Kakashi ignored Naruto's rebuttal and turned to address us all, "Tsunade has arranged the second round to be two months from now."

I paused, "That far away?" I asked dubiously, "Did something push the date back?"

"Not really," Kakashi replied distractedly, flipping the page with a finger, "It's just less teams made it out than she expected. In that case, there will be no need to hurry, don't you agree?"

Naruto looked around wildly, "Oi! Where's Sai?! That bastard, don't tell me he didn't even turn up to greet us!"

"He's on a mission." Kakashi flipped another page.

"How many casualties have there been?" I relayed the question softly, but it was laced with just a trickle of fear.

Kakashi raised his head, his eyes suddenly serious, "None so far. But understand this, the fact that no one is dying now is just making the rest of that group very bloodthirsty. If you want to pass the second round, you're going to have to train harder than you ever have."

"And," Naruto gulped, "How are we going to do that?"

"Under the supervision of an excellent sensei of course."

"And _where _exactly are we going to get one of those excellent senseis?"

Naruto barely dodged the kunai which had threatened to pierce through his head.

The Uchiha and I turned our heads from the bantering pair, shaking our heads in disapproval and amusement. Well. That was actually just me; the Uchiha was as expressionless as always.

"Shall we go home?" I murmured out of the side of my mouth.

"Aa."

It didn't occur to me until later that by saying a simple sentence such as, "Shall we go home?" I had unconsciously fully accepted him back into my life.

* * *

"Do you want some breakfast?" I yawned, standing in the Uchiha's doorway.

"Hn."

"Well, what do you want?"

"Tomato Onigiri." (A/N rice balls –om nom nom-)

I sighed and remarked on his originality before trudged downstairs. Halfway through rolling the rice in the seaweed, someone knocked impatiently on the door.

"Yes?" I answered, opening the door. Ino gaped at me.

"Dear Kami, you look like you haven't slept in days."

"Well," I replied groggily, stepping aside to let her in, "It's cause I actually haven't? Hurry up and come in, you're letting the damn wind inside."

Ino walked in, eyeing my messy hands. I mean come on, let's face it; I was never the cleanest cook.

"What are you doing?" She asked suspiciously, and then looked at the two plates laid out on the table, "Wha— when did _you _turn into Miss Matron? You're making food for the Uchiha?!"

"It's for me too," I said, yawning again, arranging the rice balls into a heap onto the plate. Ino scowled, throwing herself into a seat.

"I don't believe this Forehead girl, who knew you were such a pushover? Let me refresh your memory, the goal was to get him _out _of the house wasn't it? What're you doing making him feel all at home?"

"Woah." I held up both hands in mock surrender, "Back up Ino-pig. Three points. One. I thought you were all for us getting back together?"

"Hey, I said that he was _different, _I said that maybe he had _changed_. I asked if you had feelings for him. But I don't think I ever said that I wanted you two to get together!"

I made a face at her, "Okay? Point two. I'm not making him feel at home at all!"

"You're making breakfast _for _him! How is that not making him feel at home." Ino stuck up a hand, "Don't even start on point three unless you want me to shoot you down again."

I scowled, "Well, what do you want me to say then?"

"I don't want you to say anything!" She shot back. I narrowed my eyes, feeling a wave of irritation wash over me. This was definitely not _my _definition of a friendly check up.

"Geez, If you want him so much then you have him!" I snapped, setting the plate down with a large _clack_. Ino flinched, and then sighed.

"I just don't want you to get hurt again Sakura." She said in a softer, apologetic tone, "I know you know what might happen if you end up falling in love with this guy. We both have experienced it already, but it's going to hurt more than last time Forehead, a lot more."

"I know it too, you don't have anything to worry about," I grinned lazily, "Who knew that a extra plate would cause so much fuss on your side?"

She hit me lightly, "Anyway, I just came over to see if you were still in one piece, and it looks like you're fine. So I'm gonna go now."

She winked and mouthed 'Shikamaru' with a big thumb u, doing a small victory dance. I winked back and walked her to the door. Sasuke was tiredly coming down from the top of the stairs.

"Hey Uchiha," she called over her shoulder, not even bothering to look at him, "Break any hearts lately?"

It wasn't the first time I wanted to throw her out, but then again it wouldn't be the last.

"Ignore her." I said sheepishly when he shot me an inquisitive look, "Erm, have a rice ball?"

* * *

Kick. Punch. Kick. Punch. I paused for a moment, and then attempted Neji's 64 palms attack. Two words to describe the result. Epic fail.

"Your form is all over the place, not to mention the fact that your hands aren't even hitting the right pressure points."

"Hey, I don't want to hear that from a pervert who reads porn all day." I retorted, slicing the head off the dummy with my kunai. Kakashi erupted from the ground and mockingly put a hand over his heart.

"Ouch. That hurt me Sakura, right here. And for your information, Icha Icha Paradise is not _porn_, it's a stroke of genius."

"Sure sensei, why don't you tell that to Tsunade?"

Kakashi chuckled before putting the book away – Hallelujah – and nodded towards the clear stream, "Let's take a walk."

"You kids are growing up fast," he remarked, seemingly a little sad, "Soon, you'll almost be on the same rank as me."

I grinned at him, "Feeling proud sensei?"

"No," He replied flippantly, "I'm more relieved to finally get rid of you guys, but kind of creeped out that we'll be _equal_."

I smiled. Both of us stopped in front of the memorial stone.

"So, what's going on with the Uchiha and you? The tension has eased I take it?"

I rolled my eyes, and _why_ did everyone seem so interested in my business today? "Nothing's going on, we've just gotten used to each other." I stared at him suspiciously, "Why are _you_ asking?"

Kakashi looked at the stone wistfully, "It's hard to lose a teammate, I know. It's hard arguing with them also, but I would give almost anything to get my team back." He sighed, eyes still glued to the stone, "What I'm saying is, things which have happened stay in the past, where they belong. It's your choice whether you want to hold on to them, or let them go. If you hold on for too long, people leave. And when they do, when you realize how important they really were to you, you'll find that you can't change what has happened anymore. The past will eat you up."

I didn't exactly know how to respond to that, the mood seemed to have all changed. "I'm not holding on I don't _hate_ Sasuke anymore sensei," I said defensively. Kakashi turned to me.

"You never have."

* * *

"Back from training already?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "That was quick."

"It was interrupted," I frowned confusedly, what did Kakashi mean by that? His eyes seemed so clear with thought, so precise. As if he knew exactly what I was feeling. Like hell he did, sensei may know a lot of things, but a girl's heart certainly ain't one of them.

"Already did the laundry." Sasuke said, going up the stairs.

"Uh, thanks."

"Hn."

I shook my head to rid the thought. It was a rubbish heap of feelings inside me; I didn't know where to start. Instead, I pondered over what I should be making for dinner tonight.

"Guess who!!" A voice said right outside my kitchen window, then a blond head immediately started worming its way through the moderately large slit, grinning. I bonked him on the head as soon as he looked up.

"Ouch!" He squealed, then ran to the front door to let himself in, "Anyway, Ichiraku tonight?"

I raised my eyebrows, weighing out the possible outcomes. I could go to Ichiraku and gain a couple of pounds, or work my brain and self off by trying to cook up another edible meal made of tomatoes.

"Uchiha!" I hollered upstairs, "We're going to Ichiraku!!"

He came downstairs solemnly, lagging behind us as Naruto and I talked animatedly.

"It feels like Team 7 is properly together again," he whistled happily, I looked at him quizzically.

"We've been together for quite a while now." I pointed out, glancing at the brooding Uchiha behind us, "Why do you say it like that?"

"Because, for once, it feels like you're _not _going to leap up and drag a kunai across the Uchiha's throat," He replied nonchalantly, "It's almost like we were back then again, before…" His voice trailed off before he cleared his throat.

"Hey! You guys are at each other's throats all the time!"

"Yeah but that's different," He grinned, "It's meant to be like that cause sometimes he really pisses the shit out of me. But, you too seem to have settled things down fully. Now, our team has balance again!

"Well, I wouldn't exactly say that." I murmured, frowning, it seemed like everyone else was picking up on something that I was blatantly missing. Sasuke fell into step beside us, shooting Naruto a glare. I sighed as the sparks beside me started to sizzle again. Sai came into view, sitting lonesome on the Ichiraku stools.

"Sai!" I called loudly, glad to see a sane person, "Hey, why are you here?"

"The dickless invited me of course," he said simply, "Made me wait here for a long time."

"DON'T CALL ME DICKLESS!! DO I HAVE TO POUND IT INTO YOU?!"

"With what? Your unmanly fists? No thank you."

I groaned, sliding into a seat and placing my order. The chef just looked at me and grinned, looking at all of us, "Well, ain't that a pretty picture," He chuckled, getting to work. I looked at all of them, yelling and screaming at one another as if they were still two years of age. How is this a pretty picture in any way? I caught the Uchiha staring at me.

"What?" I asked irritatingly, "Is there something on my face?"

"You're smiling." He said blandly. Only then, did I realize I was. I forced my face to pull into the stoic look I had recently adapted from the Uchiha.

"Don't."

I stared at him, "Don't what?!" I demanded, exasperated. The Naruto and Sai bicker continued, not paying us any attention.

"Do that."

"Why?"

"You are pretty when you smile."

And there it was. The single sentence which seemed to make my heart slightly miss a beat — who am I kidding, of course it didn't. That would be medically impossible. But it did make me feel a slight _tang _in the heartstrings. The single sentence also stopped Sai and Naruto in their tracks. Naruto was immediately targeting Sasuke once more.

"You had better not be hitting on Sakura-chan, teme! You're supposed to be gay!"

A vein twitched in Sasuke's forehead, "What was that dobe?! _I _wasn't the one who kissed another guy!"

"IT WAS A FREAKING ACCIDENT!!"

Sai turned to me, a rare amusement in his eye, "What's this?" He whispered, "I haven't heard of this before."

I sniggered, "At the Academy, Naruto had a lip-to-lip contact with Sasuke."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto wailed, "Why'd you tell him?"

Sai smiled at Naruto, "Is this some custom that dickless people give to others? I'm glad I didn't receive this treatment. The mute must feel so proud."

"Shut up." Naruto and Sasuke both said darkly, the air around them crackling with evil energy.

I laughed until I was gasping for breath, "Okay, okay," I wheezed, wiping my eyes, "Let's eat."

Naruto stood up abruptly, "Sakura-chan, swap places with me! I don't feel comfortable with you sitting next to that pervert."

I felt the muscles in my stomach clench as I tried to hold in some more laughter, the Uchiha's face was priceless, "It's alright Naruto, I think I'll be able to handle him if anything happens."

Naruto sat down again in a huff, eyes glued to the Uchiha, "I'm watching you."

"You're putting me off my meal."

The chef caught my eye and winked before turning back to his work.

I was starting to see a little of what he meant. In a way, we had all unknowingly stepped into the role of a family. Maybe it's just to replace the empty space which we had there, or for some other reason. But it felt good.

I finished my ramen, sitting back with a content sigh. The three of them were still going at it. Naruto with his colorful yet stupid insults, Sai with his fake replies and Sasuke using three words with a hundred different meanings behind them. It felt like old memories, cozy yet refreshing. But also, just a little too perfect.

* * *

"Enough frolicking ladies," Kakashi announced, "Time to start serious training again."

Naruto groaned, "But it's only been three days, don't you think you could give us a _little _more downtime?"

Kakashi sighed flippantly, "No problem," He replied, sticking his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels, "I will walk away right now." His eye twinkled mischievously, "If you can accept being the only Hokage in history who has failed the Jounin exam."

Naruto twitched, and then pulled Sasuke up, "Come on teme!" He barked, "Let's do this!"

"Why not Sai Naruto?" Kakashi asked slyly, "You haven't fought him in a while."

"I want to fight teme!" Naruto sounded like a two year old child. I kind of saw Kakashi's point; Sai had a completely different fighting style than Sasuke. Calmer and smoother than the Uchiha who had aggressive moves. It would help Naruto to try someone different.

"You scared of me dickless?" Sai smirked. I looked at him in surprise, a few years ago; he wouldn't have uttered a word.

"I'LL KICK YOUR PATHETIC ASS TO THE NEXT ERA!" Naruto hollered, getting red in the face, "Bring it on you baka!!"

Kakashi tried to hide his smile unsuccessfully. Naruto, unaware that he had been completely manipulated was getting into an exaggerated battle stance.

"You just enjoy tormenting him don't you?" I grinned at our old sensei, "Anyway, you promised you would show me some new genjutsu moves today right?"

"Yup." He replied, sticking a hand into his back pocket, and then completely froze, "Shit! I left Icha Icha at home!" He started making some hand seals.

"Sensei!" I growled, "My lesson!"

He froze, looking a little sheepish, "Oh yeah. Err. Just go spar with the Uchiha for a while."

"Are you seriously ditching us for porn?!" I asked dumbfolded, even though I sort of knew the answer already.

Kakashi gave me a funny look, "Of course Sakura. In a life or death situation, porn always comes first."

And then he disappeared. I kicked the tree stump, "Stupid Sensei!" I muttered. Sasuke made a move towards the training court. He didn't wait, just kept on walking.

I was really getting sick of staring at his back. I leapt after him, remembering the last time we had fought. I hadn't been taken seriously, but this time is gonna be different. I could feel the adrenaline tingling as it raced through me.

"You ready for a good pounding Uchiha?" I grinned; fingers prying open my kunai pouch. He glanced my way once, and took out his katana. I felt satisfaction spread over me, to take out his katana before the match had even begun was a definite compliment to me.

The air crackled around us. I remained cautious and alert, knowing that if I blinked at the wrong moment, I would be screwed. The toes of his left foot shifted into the soil, I quickly ducked, just in time to hear the slicing of the katana from where my head would have been. I kept my eyes on him, watching as he leapt from place to place, trying to find a weak spot. His shoulder hitched up a fraction of an inch, unfortunately for me, I failed to notice. The katana swung towards my stomach, I frantically lifted my kunai to deflect it. The katana sliced the kunai in half and hit my stomach, sending thousands of volts into me. The first reaction wasn't pain; it was more of a jolt, like someone was pumping endless adrenaline into me. I was just about to make some smartass comment about how that didn't hurt, until the pain hit me like a ton of bricks. I sent the chakra to my burnt stomach, feeling it repair the internal organs. I wiped the blood off my lip as the Uchiha lifted his katana for another blow. Instinctively, I rolled, pushing myself off from the ground as I was doing so, landing a couple of feet behind him. His eyes turned, they held no pity or worry. A savage grin spread across my face.

"You're serious." I laughed, discarding the broken kunai and bringing out a chakra-enforced one, "It's about time Uchiha."

His eyes were already activated, fixed on me. I made sure not to look into them, focusing on his different movements, continuing to laugh silently. It was pointless. His head dipped forward, I leapt up, just as he plunged his sword deep into the ground. If I had been standing there, I would have been fried.

His eyes narrowed some more. "Surprised?" I asked cheekily, "You forget the missions we went on Uchiha, I've observed all your little habits. _I can see right through you._"

Surprise leaked into his eyes, taking advantage of his stationary form, I quickly switched to offensive, slashing at him wherever I could. He easily deflected each attack in a casual manner. I gritted my teeth and threw my kunais at him, he saw through my trick, catching a chakra string in his hand.

"I don't fall for the same trick twice Haruno." He murmured.

"It wasn't the same trick." I grinned, pouring more chakra into the strings, allowing my chakra to penetrate through his hand and into his body. His eyes widened as he froze. I drew back all my chakra strings rapidly, leaving burn marks on the Uchiha's pale skin. I could feel my chakra inside his body ebbing away, being overcome by his immune system. That left me with around ten more seconds before he could fully regain control of his body again. I kicked hard at the loose soil beneath us, sending loose earth flying at him. He managed a weak jump, avoiding most of the hard dirt. Two more seconds. I spread my hands onto the soil and breathed deeply. A stream of earth took the katana from his twitching hand and sucked it in. Times up. He kicked off the ground. I brought up an arm to shield my face, just in time to feel his palm hit it; the force of it was so strong that I skidded back a few meters. Quickly ducking, I swiped a leg in a circle, catching him in the knees. Placing a palm on the dirt, I kicked my legs up and spun them, hearing a sickening crack sound.

"Please let that have been his jaw, please, please, please." I breathed quietly. I took too long to land, and a swinging foot came to greet me, it paid special attention to my left eye. I flew backwards, thing that I could've had the seconds in the air to plan my next move, instead, the Uchiha leapt up to accompany me. Well. Isn't this a nice surprise. Would you like some tea? He grabbed my arm —and not in that friendly way, but more of the, Argh-I'm-going-to-kill-you way. The look in his eyes was terrifying; it was as if they could open up and swallow me whole. My arm was twisted violently, the elbow bent at an impossible angle and then pulled some more. It felt as though the whole arm was going to come out of its socket. I landed roughly, and blinked back tears, my chakra hurriedly working on the wound. But there wasn't enough time, the Uchiha was already moving forward again. I slumped, feeling energy leave my body.

What the hell was this? Am I still so far behind the two of them? Why can't I catch up? I let loose a frustrated cry and pounded the earth pointlessly. The Uchiha's eyes glanced down as his feet struggled to find a footing. I felt an animalistic presence overtake me. My eyes narrowed as I lunged forward. His arm came up, wielding a kunai and a shuriken. I jumped off the ground, darting from side to side in a way I hadn't even noticed I could do. My two fingers pushed his forehead back none-too-gently. My eyes widened with triumph, as I sent a string of chakra into his mind. A kunai pierced my shoulder blade, sending some chidori into the area. I fell to the ground in a heap. Where was the Uchiha? Shaking, I lifted my head and saw the Uchiha cry out in pain, clutching his head with his eyes wide open. I would have stood up if my muscles allowed it. But the divine numbness of my wounds wore away, and the pain lay behind it like a hungry wolf. I couldn't have moved my toes if I wanted to.

"Dear Kami," I heard Kakashi say, "What the hell happened here?" A toe prodded my ribs and I choked back a scream, he went to inspect the Uchiha who had his eyes squeezed shut, trying to find a way to get rid of the roaring headache I had given him. "I said that you guys should spar, not attempt to kill each other. It's like a bloody death match just happened here."

I just groaned in response. Kakashi put something into my mouth.

"Chew." He ordered, sounding a little peeved. The familiar taste of a soldier pill filled my mouth. I chewed harder, trying to swallow the pill faster. Chakra eventually returned to my system. I healed my shoulder first, trying not the wince as the burnt flesh knitted itself back together. My ribs and other wounds were healed roughly. I crawled over to Sasuke; I was still unable to stand on steady feet. I was aching all over, carefully extracting the chakra out of his head, he released a relieved sigh. Kakashi loomed over us, face twitching.

"You would think that ninja's of your age and rank would know when to stop!" He sighed, "Nevertheless, on the positive side, no one died and you two obviously gained a little experience from it. It was a good workout I take it. But next time, I'll make sure _you're _the ones to explain to the Hokage why her training fields are completely destroyed every time we're scheduled on."

"Not all of them," I tried say. Kakashi twitched his head over to where Naruto and Sai lay. There were fissures and black ink everywhere. Anything within a three kilometer radius had been ripped apart, lying in pieces.

"You were saying?" Kakashi closed his eyes, as if reining in his temper. I gulped.

"Nothing." I replied meekly. Kakashi dismissed us with a wave, as he took in the extremity of Naruto's area, a glimmer of evil seeped into his eyes.

"Go home!" He ordered to us and stormed over to Naruto and Sai's training field, promptly kicking the blond across the court.

I picked myself up painfully, the Uchiha and I shared a sigh as we attempted to move our legs. After a while of quiet shuffling, I beamed at Sasuke, he looked back in a bit of surprise.

"You took me seriously today," I grinned idiotically, "I actually feel a little happy."

"Hn." He said, "It was good. You've improved."

I huffed, "Of course."

"You're it." The sound was clear and certain.

"What?" I peered at him, "Hey, what's up? Are you _blushing?_"

"No." He said instantaneously, "Uchiha's don't blush." He cleared his throat, "Anyway, regarding what you said to me in the Forest. The fact that you think I've changed is good. However, I don't agree with the fact that there is 'close to nil chance of you falling in love with me again.' I'm an Uchiha, I can make that happen."

"No!" I cried, horrified, "You were asleep! You didn't hear that!"

"Are you blushing?" he asked, sounding a little amused.

"Of course not!" I replied, stubbornly turning my head to the side so that he wouldn't see the pink stain on my cheeks.

He paused again, "You're definitely the one." He repeated stoically, "After Jounin Exams, let's get married."

Code Red. Code Red. I think my brain just exploded, and for some strange reason, my heart is no longer beating. To top that, the Uchiha is showing some sort of emotion other than murderous rage. Newsflash to the world: Hell has just frozen over.

* * *

**~NeXt Up: ChApTeR 13: CoNcEpTs oF LoVe~**

* * *

**~AuThOrS bLaH~**

**OMG, I FINALLY FINISHED THIS CHAPTER!!!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAH, in your face writer's block! Surprised ya'all didn't I? –Enter grin – **

**YES, WE ARE FINALLY MAKING SOME PROGRESS WITH THESE TWO!! Even though it's slow, it's getting there . **

**Sorry to have missed updating for such a long time, ehehe, I hope people are still reading this :S It's holidays now, so expect a couple more chapters, yay!**

**I look forward to your reviews and constructive criticism as usual – and always will be, if there's something you really want to see, PM me or something, and I'll try my best! xD**

**Till the next chapter!**

**Ciao!**

**~CaNdY~**


	13. Concepts Of Love

**HEY EVERYONE! Back with the latest chapter! Sorry it took so long, cause of stupid exams which I completely screwed up anyway .**

**Thanks for all the heartwarming reviews! To be honest, I had a complete headache trying to think of what to put in this chapter, the last chapter's epic moment had been a moment of a crazy, love-drunk me, completely in the moment for an epic cliffhanger, which bit me on the butt when I'm trying to top it with this chapter =.=**

**I debated over whether she should have kicked the shit out of him, but I think, if I were in her position, I wouldn't know what to do at all. After all, this **_**is **_**her old long time crush asking her out. And well, as we all know, feelings don't always completely fade away, or in Sakura's case, linger there. I'm not sure, but I'm pretty satisfied with the bottom bits of the chapter. And yes, that is my crappy defense for myself xD**

**It may be a little soppy but bear with me!**

**THANKS AGAIN FOR THE BRILLIANT REVIEWS! LOVED reading every single one of them! Thanks to you all! Readers, reviewers and the like!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

**COMMENCE CHAPTER THIRTEEN! – grab some food for this one too, it's also quite long.**

**Disclaimer: No…I don't know Naruto…but I DO own these biscuits…Want one? **

* * *

**~ChApTeR 13: CoNcEpTs Of LoVe~**

* * *

I looked up at him, feeling a bit annoyed, "Is this a joke Uchiha?"

Sasuke looked even more stoic than ever, "I'm not joking. Uchiha's are serious people."

Now five minutes ago, I would have _definitely _made a comment about _that_, "You're telling me that you want to marry me?"

"Yes."

"And that you love me?" I watched his face very carefully. To be honest, I expected a very emotionless answer, being the Uchiha and all, I was almost certain that he had what I wanted figured out, the question was, would he tell the truth, or just what I wanted to hear?

His forehead furrowed, as if I had asked him a question with an impossible answer, "I'm not sure." He said slowly but candidly.

"Well." I swallowed, feeling awkward and wishing that someone would show up and interrupt this pleasant little conversation, "Are you asking just because we're friends?"

"Yes and no." He tilted his head a little, "We are well acquainted, and that prompts me to ask this, however, it is not the main cause. You could say…" He coughed a little, "I am, somewhat attached to you."

I felt a little bit irritated, and maybe just a _little _bit disappointed and hurt. But only a little. And it's not because I like him.

…

Shut up Ino, I know your somewhere out there, commenting on me and this particular situation; don't say I'm denying anything because I'm not. And I'm also not denying the fact that I'm denying it. I must be high on something to be thinking this; it must be those damn soldier pills.

"Uchiha," I said softly, "Being attached to someone and loving someone are two entirely different things."

He blinked rapidly, "You have excellent chakra control and medical abilities. You are rather smart and quite strong as well." He said.

I felt my heart plummet, so in the end, it was really just all about the genes. "I see." I replied, fairly coldly, turning my back to him, "I'm sorry Uchiha, but I'm sure there are other girls more capable than me. The relationship between the two of us can't be called romantic."

"Why not?" He asked, walking faster to keep pace, "We are close, is that not love?"

"No, it's not." I said, swallowing hard to keep my temper reasonable when what I feel like doing is punching a great big hole in his bloody head, unsurprisingly, a little sarcasm seeped through, "For starters, you don't even know the _first thing _about love! It's not in your vocabulary! You can't force it, and it doesn't just happen because of one person, I don't just love you because you want me to!"

"So how?" He asked simply, "What do I need to do?"

"This isn't some exam Uchiha!" I said exasperatedly, "You can't study for the answers, and you can't use your prodigy brain for some answer like it's a mathematical equation!"

"You loved me five years ago; you loved me enough to offer to go away with me."

I froze. A stab of pain jolted me in my chest as I remembered how I had felt back then. "Are you really going to bring that up every time?" I snapped, "It's different now. Back then, you didn't get it. And even now, you still don't get it. The feeling is always a two-sided; no one can give enough to support both people forever. You can't force it; you can't push it onto another person. It just has to be…there." That time, it was like I was empty, the Uchiha had been a major part of me and he had just, disappeared. It made me realize a lot of things, in the space of three months, I grew up. Determined for power, for knowledge, and bitter about the experiences I had had.

"Just think the question through." He placed a hand on my shoulder, which I angrily shrugged off, crashing back to reality.

"Don't chase the topic further Uchiha," I gritted my teeth, "and make me think worse of you than I already do. At least keep the tiny bit of civility we have left between us, no matter how fragile it is."

And I just kept walking, regardless of whether he was behind me or not. I had let my guard down and I knew it. I was having doubts about everything he had done, was there an ulterior motive to them all? At the festival? In the Forest? There were sides to him that I had never known were there, and didn't know whether or not to trust. It was as though he had been waiting for just a crack in the armor to slide through and throw my entire life out of order, again. But not this time, I'm not going to let the same thing happen again, not after I spent more than a third of my life trying to patch everything up again. We were back to square one.

* * *

The next morning, I took care not to look at him or pay too much attention to him. I was still a bit shaken about what had happened, and wasn't quite sure how to deal with it. Like I had said myself, this wasn't like an exam, where the answers were straightforward, and just there. Only I didn't know them either.

"Good morning." He said quietly.

"Morning." I replied stiffly, getting out a bowl and filling it with ramen. We both sat down on the dining table, stabbing at the noodles with the chopsticks. It was quiet for a few seconds, even though the two of us were barely eating.

"Training at noon." He said, clearing his throat. I nodded once and stared at my bowl. After a while, I couldn't take the silence or the tension in the room. I pushed my bowl back, grabbed my training pouch and walked out the door. After I had closed it, I stood outside and wondered why I had done so, where I had obviously no place to go. I sighed, only one place left.

"Forehead?" Ino murmured sleepily. She then took one look at my face and let me in, "Okay, what happened this time?"

"Uchiha proposed." I explained, following her up the stairs

"Oh I see." Ino blinked, then she froze and her eyes doubled their normal size, "_What_?" she shrieked, "He did _what?"_

A growl came from the room next to us, "Ino! Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Ino pulled a face, "Sorry daddy," she called back, opening the door to her room, and shooed me in. "And what did you say in reply?"

My face must have told her.

"Oh Kami," she said, sitting on her bed, "Tell me what happened."

She insisted on verbatim, and after being interrupted by her numerous times, I managed to finish the story. A second later, there was still silent on her part, and I was starting to feel slightly worried. Did she somehow suffer a heart malfunction?

"Wow, that's dramatic," Ino commented finally, tapping her lips with a finger, "So he just asked you right then?"

I nodded. Ino pursed her lips, "So, what expression as he wearing then?" She asked.

I felt a little surprised at the question, "Expression?" I echoed, wondering if it really mattered, "He seemed stoic."

"Elaborate." Ino pressured, "Was anything else out of line?"

Perhaps Ino decided to take on her father's line of work of interrogation, which, if this was the case, I was thoroughly getting freaked out. She was staring me quite calmly in the eye with a little smile which said I-know-it-all; I swear I felt a drop of sweat sliver down my back. I swallowed once and tried to remember. "Well, I thought he blushed but it was gone when I looked again. The next second, he was emotionless, and his voice even sounded a little flat."

"Interesting." Ino had a sparkle in her eye, and I knew what _that _meant. Bad news, definitely.

"And it's interesting because?"

Ino shrugged, "I don't know. It sounds a little out of character for the Uchiha is all, so the big question right now is, what are you going to do about him?"

"What?"

"Are you stupid or something Haruno? After what happened this morning, do you really think that you can stay in the same situation as this one for the next ten years?"

I gulped, "No, of course not." I said weakly, "But what can I do?"

"I trust that you'll figure it out." Ino said all saint-like with that bad glint in her eye. I knew something was up, and I definitely did not like it. She checked her alarm clock dramatically, "Oh geez, is that the time? I'm arranged a date with Shikamaru today! Isn't that great? The feeling of love?"

I narrowed my eyes, "What's going on?"

"Nothing!" Ino trilled, "Just that it's at midday and I really need to start preparing."

I checked the clock, "Ino, it's not even eight yet."

"Well. You can't rush beauty." Ino made an exaggerated gesture.

"So what am I to do then?"

I felt two hands roughly push me towards the door, "Do whatever you want!" She squealed, using her insane strength to push me out of her room.

"What? What kind of advice is this?"

"A good piece! Just go figure it out!"

She saw that I was refusing to move any further, and grabbed the collar of my shirt, walking in big strides. My feet were dragging along the floor, I felt like they were going to cause skid marks any minute now. They bumped painfully as we hit the stairs.

"Hey! Wait!" I tried to turn around to see her face, "Not now, aren't you going to do your duty as a friend and comfort me?"

"I thought I already did that," She replied, dragging me till I was actually standing outside of her front door. "I trust you'll think of an answer! I would _love _to help more, but er — I have to make breakfast right about now, you_ know _how daddy gets after a big case, so, bye!"

"Oi!" I protested loudly, "Ino-pig, you seriously aren't going to—"

The door slammed. "—Kick me out." I finished lamely. The door creaked open a little, showing one of her big azure eyes, "You'll thank me later on Forehead," She whispered, "I _know _it." And bam. The door was shut once again.

"Traitor." I grimaced. What the hell was that? With the strange behavior and the falsehood she had just tried to feed me? The day she could get a lie past me would be the day that Naruto stops loving ramen. I thought about going home, but the thought of facing the Uchiha again made me both confused and disappointed at the same time. There was only one option left, kick the Uchiha out of my house. Even if it _is _just temporarily, with the two of us not uttering a single useful sentence while together, it'll be even harder to sort out all the crap going on with me.

* * *

"Hello Sakura, long time no see." Tsunade had one hand on a giant wooden chest on her desk and the other on a large hammer.

"Good morning sensei." I made a small smile, looking around at the familiar office before frowning a little, "Where's Shizune?"

Tsunade laughed a little manically, "She's away on a trip!" She said gleefully, before carefully sobering her face once more, "Now, what do you want?"

I gulped, was it just me, or did everyone seem slightly crazy this morning? Well. Since I was here already, I might as well plead my case the best I could.

"Please give me a mission." I gave her a hopeful smile, "Let me take the Uchiha with me."

"And what's with the sudden urgency?" Tsunade asked, hands fumbling to open some sort of giant padlock on the chest.

"It would be a good idea if I could get the Uchiha out of the house, and I don't think I can wait for the Jounin exams to finish."

"Why not?" She tried squeezing the lock with her fists. I considered for a second whether I should use a wild impromptu tale, but quickly decided that if I looked traumatized enough, she might actually take pity on her poor pupil.

"He proposed to me yesterday night."

Tsunade looked up briefly, "Is that so?" She asked, sounding surprised and slightly more serious, "Should I hear the sound of wedding bells or a man getting his ass thoroughly kicked?"

"The latter." I gazed at the chest, what was in there? I had a sneaking suspicion though.

Tsunade pursed her lips, before turning back to the chest and experimentally rapping it with her knuckles, "Oh." She narrowed her eyes, trying to bash the lock up with her fists, "I can see how that works, especially since the Uchiha is a frighteningly stubborn individual. Yes, it _would_ probably be good to get him out of the house, for his own safety."

"Yes." I replied slowly, I wasn't quite sure sensei was listening to everything I was saying. She seemed most preoccupied with the contents of that chest, "Tsunade-sensei!" I said loudly, at the risk of sounding like a spoilt brat, "What do I have to do to get him out of the house?"

Tsunade stopped rapping for a second, pulled out a stapled sheet out of a mountain of unfinished paperwork and scanned it over, "One A rank — minimum. Oh. And he has the pass the Jounin exam."

"What if I take an S-rank mission with him? If it is successful, then they can skip the Jounin exam altogether right?"

Tsunade resorted to banging the chest onto desk, "Maybe! But it's the Council's decision remember?"

"I might as well try anyway! Are there any which I can take?" I shouted to be heard.

"Nope!" She yelled back, resorting to banging the chest onto the desk, "Firstly, you should be ANBU to take an S-rank, maybe Jounin if you're really good. But you're not any of those ranks yet! Even if I did pull some strings, your next round is coming up! You can't afford to take a mission!"

"C-rank!" I shouted over the noise, "D-rank even!"

"NO. YOU. CAN'T!" Tsunade bellowed, enunciating each word with a bang, as she started to hit the chest more violently, with the hammer now, "Even a B-rank mission won't get him out of your house immediately! And the A-rank missions overlap your Jounin exam! Afterwards, sure, they'll be slacker providing that he passes but he'll still need to do another service anyway!"

My face fell, there goes my last resort.

"Is it really that bad?" Tsunade-sensei asked, inserting chakra into her fists, "What's the current situation?"

"Awkward and painful." I smiled bitterly, "None of us know what to make of the situation at all. He wants to talk about love, but he doesn't even know the first thing about it."

Tsunade took a break from her hammering, "Then teach him." She suggested, "Uchiha's aren't great talkers, but they're brilliant learners. And anyway, when it comes the love word in general, even the most macho of men run away with their tail between their legs. The fact that the Uchiha mentioned it first is like the hell freezing over."

And don't I know it.

"But I haven't sorted out my own feelings yet either," I laughed a little, "But I know that he doesn't truly love me. I know him well enough sensei, I doubt that I am enough to tempt up his romantic side and, the guy is just so set on reviving his clan. I am a bit afraid that he'll say _anything _to get me to agree."

"The Uchiha isn't very good with his feelings."Sensei said kindly, "He is blunt and right now, not very popular because most the girls are either away on missions, dating, or settled down and married. If it's any consolation, I think he picked you because you were the closest female he's known. If he wanted to apologize, I believe it would be a hard task for him also."

"Firstly, that's not much help or of much comfort." I pulled a face, "And secondly, I just…I just…" I couldn't find the words to explain how messed up _I _was right then. The Uchiha isn't the only one not good with feelings; I really didn't know what to think or do right now. Call me hopeless, call me weak, but I'm just really … lost.

"Sakura." She warned gently, picking up the hammer again. I knew I had to speak fast before the whole riot started again.

"Tsunade-sensei. Please." I bit my lip, "Is there nothing I can do? At all?"

Tsunade sighed again, took one look at my face and faltered, "I'll arrange a mission for you as soon as you guys pass."

I accepted the fact that this was the best she could do. "Thanks sensei." I said quietly, standing up to go. Tsunade hesitated.

"Wait Sakura." She looked me dead in the eye, "Just, talk to the Uchiha at some point okay? Sort out all these problems, because when it came down to it all, all you've got are your friends and teammates. And he was the one who was brought back _but stayed_."

I looked at her blankly before remembering that her own teammate had betrayed the village and turned into one of her greatest enemies. The same teammate killed numerous people, and lured Sasuke in. I definitely knew how it felt to have to kill someone you once loved and cherished. Was she telling me that I was lucky? That I shouldn't give up this chance? What exactly was her message?

I opened my mouth to ask, but changed my mind. It was probably one of those things I'd figure out on my own.

"Thanks sensei." I smiled.

"Sure thing Sakura," She winked, holding the chest high above her head, "Anytime."

I gulped, staring at the visible chakra streaming to her arm; I should probably get out of here before I get killed or something. I mean, she was Hokage, she could cover up any case of homicide by a snap of her finger. I turned around and hurriedly headed for the exit.

"SHANNARO!" A scream came behind me. By pure instinct, I dove for a steady stone table. Nothing happened and I was starting to feel quite silly. Needless to say, a lot of people were staring now. I laughed sheepishly, placing a hand on the desk top.

"Sakura, you big idiot." I chided myself crossly, "Jeez, stop being so damn paranoid!"

Just as I was about to crawl out, the whole tower started shaking violently.

"Holy shit!" I squealed, ducking under the table again, debris was shaken loose from the ceiling, sprinkling down on the screaming staff as dust clouds erupted from the old documents on top of the bookcases.

A large splintering sound was heard, followed by a lot of clunking sounds. I turned to look at Tsunade, as did a hundred others. She was laughing triumphantly with her hands on her hips over a heap of wood scraps. About ten bottles of sake lay sparkling at her feet. I sighed, running a hand through my hair to get rid of any dust particles. The ground had a large dent in it and the wood heap was basically smoking. Some furniture had toppled over, broken in one side. Oblivious, Tsunade gathered up the sake bottles in one arm and caught me staring.

"What?" She asked, all innocent-eyed, "These were, er, on the street."

"You are _so_ dead when Shizune finds out." I pointed out, looking at the total destruction of her office, causing Tsunade to pale a little.

She glared at all the office people, "If any of you breathe a word to her, I'll be thoroughly pissed off." That generally wouldn't make a very good threat, but coming from Tsunade, it was a believable and effective one.

"And I would also like some replacements for the furniture. Exact replicas! MOVE IT!"

Everyone gulped and scattered off.

I turned and left, feeling glum once more about my own predicament. What the hell was I supposed to do?

"Sakura!" Tsunade called to me, "Remember what I said!"

I smiled and waved back at her. If only remembering a thing was as easy as carrying it out.

* * *

By the time I got to the training field, my slightly cheered up feeling had completely evaporated and I was feeling as awkward and wooden as I had felt this morning. Sai was the only one out of all of us who seemed in a good mood, but then again with him, you can never tell. Sasuke was fidgeting around, careful to avoid my gaze entirely, and Naruto…well, the poor guy practically had his personal raincloud pouring over him. Kakashi appeared looking like his entire body would crumple and wither any minute.

"Good morning!" Kakashi said glumly, looking at the 'lovely' atmosphere between the four of us, "How convenient that all of us are in such a pleasant mood today."

We gave no response. Kakashi gave a drawn out sigh. "Naruto and Sakura, go to the lakeside. I want the two of you to practice especially on taijutsu today. Sasuke and Sai stay here, Sasuke on defense, Sai; you have my permission to beat the shit out of him."

"Lakeside?" I exclaimed, "That's around twenty kilometers east from here!"

"Good exercise then." Kakashi replied mercilessly, "Go."

I left for the lakeside, walking alongside Naruto. He shot a glance at me.

"What's up Sakura-chan?" he asked glumly, "Did something happen?"

I gave him a dark look, causing him to pale a little. "Don't ask." I eyed him, "What's up with _you_?"

"I met Hinata's dad yesterday." He chuckled nervously. I stared. It must have gone bad if Naruto was sweating just _thinking _about him.

"And how'd it go?"

Well. I had to ask anyway. He laughed some more — definitely a nervous reaction.

"It went _great_." He kicked a stone and frowned, "We're _best_ friends now."

I raised an eyebrow; it was quite unlike the straightforward Naruto to use sarcasm. "Naruto? Are you okay?"

"No!" He wailed suddenly, "I got really nervous and started laughing and making these really stupid jokes and, and, I _don't_ think he liked me at _all_!"

In spite of my own unhappiness, I couldn't help but feel amused, "Well." I said, covering up my laughter and trying to comfort the poor guy, "He _is _an intimidating man."

"The worst." Naruto said frantically, "But what if he refuses to let me see H-Hinata-chan? I have no money to bribe him with either! My froggy has completely deflated! Oh Kami, when am I going to get another mission?"

I patted him on the back, "I don't think the Hyuuga's are bribable though Naruto," I smiled, "They've got enough money. You should probably just go today after training and apologize for your behavior yesterday night. It might be a good idea to invite him out for a spar as well, since he seems to favor the strong over the weak."

Naruto fidgeted, "That's a good idea, but I just want to make_ him _like _me_. Personally, after the way he's treated Hinata-chan, I don't really want to spend too much time with him."

I felt happy for Hinata at that moment, that her boyfriend had analyzed the situation so clearly, "I think _that_'s a good plan."

We talked about different ways he could subtly turn the head's favor towards him, for a really strange reason, I felt swollen with pride; Naruto had grown so much emotionally. Hinata had sure turned the idiot inside him upside down. After a moment of silence, Naruto finally cleared his throat.

"So." Naruto looked at me with his azure eyes, "What's your problem?"

"Don't ask." I repeated automatically, "It's a sore topic."

"It's teme right?" Naruto asked again, completely ignoring my comment, "That person is acting really suspicious, you know? He actually came to find me this morning."

"Oh really now." I said through my teeth as I picked up a stone and threw it up and down, testing my strength, but also as a warning. Naruto eyed it warily.

"Yeah." He starting bouncing on his feet, "He asked me what love is." Naruto started to laugh, "Isn't that just hilarious Sakura-chan? … Sakura-chan?"

"Oh." I blinked, "Did he say anything else?"

Naruto looked at me weirdly, "Well." He said, his forehead crinkling, "He wanted to know every detail about what I knew. For example, asking for a date, and, and get this..."He leaned in, "He wanted to know about _emotion_." Naruto slapped his knee, "Now _that_'s a scream. So many years and only _now _does he admit his inability to communicate with anything that breathes."

I frowned, "This was, this morning?"

"Yeah, stupid guy woke me up so damn early. I made him pay for my ramen." Naruto laughed for a moment, before looking at my expression and nervously continuing, "Um yeah, he looked rather desperate you know?"

"What sorts of questions did he ask other than dates and love?"

"He wanted to know the difference between feeling attached to someone and being in love. Isn't that strange?" Naruto ruffled his hair, "Where he even got the idea to ask that sort of question, I'll never know."

I couldn't say anything much, just kind of stood there in shock with my mouth open and everything. I could have made an excellent double for a flycatcher.

Suddenly, a cracking sound was heard and the Uchiha was panting, leaning against a tree. Sai dropped down on his ink bird a few seconds later. In surprise, I looked back and saw that we had been walking for almost an hour now and had gone quite a long way already.

"Naruto!" He barked abruptly, "Change of plan, you are training with me."

Naruto made a face, "What? Really? Who said?"

"I said." The Uchiha said stonily, "Or perhaps you are too scared to spar with me dobe."

Naruto colored a furious shade of red, "BRING IT ON YOU BASTARD!" he hollered, pointing an accusing finger, "YOU SURE PICKED THE WRONG TIME TO MESS WITH THE FUTURE HOKAGE! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR BONY ASS SO FAR THAT I'LL KNOCK OUT HYUUGA HIASHI WITH MY PURE AWESOMENESS!"

Wow. Now, what could I say in follow up to such a speech? Sai offered a hand, "Get on the bird," He suggested, "I think we are the ones who will be forced to go back to the further court."

I silently agreed and climbed onto the bird.

"What was all that about?" I asked him, once we had taken off, "What did you do to the Uchiha which made him dismiss your own fight?"

Sai was silent for a while before shrugging. "I don't think I should tell. After all, the book says that secrets are meant to be kept between friends."

"It's a secret?" What? What could be so possibly serious that the Uchiha had brought up the word, _secret_? Maybe his emotions were like a gate. Once opened, they all came flooding out. Next thing you know, he'll be all emotional about that vase he broke last week. I chuckled, despite myself.

"Well, he told me not to tell anyone." Sai pulled out a book (_100 Not-to-do's With Friends: Keep your friends by avoiding the top 100 mistakes!) _and flipped through rapidly, pointing to a section which had been highlighted.

* * *

_12. Always keep a friend's secrets. _

* * *

"It says that it's one of the frequent reasons why friendships break up," Sai explained, giving his smile, "I must oblige by the rule."

I couldn't help it. The curiosity is literally eating me alive here, the rusty cogs of my brain started to reluctantly work again. "Of course." I said, trying to think of an excuse, flipping to the contents pate, "Wow, you really have been doing your research."

"Yes" Sai gave a funny twitch to his smile, after a while it was still there.

"What are you trying to do?" I asked, feeling horrified and amused at the same time.

"They say that smiling with your eyes makes you seem more pleasant," He explained, "Can you not see the warmth radiating off me right now?"

"Not exactly." My eye caught something, "Hey, about that secrets thing."

"It's number twelve Ugly, it's high in the list."

I smiled triumphantly, "Yes, I know, but look here." And stabbed at the paragraph. Sai took the book and looked at the phrase carefully.

"Number 9: Don't keep secrets from friends." He read out loud, and then crinkled his brow "I see, this is all very confusing."

I knew I must act now if I wanted an answer from him. "Well," I pointed out casually, "It _is _three places up from twelve."

"You're right, meaning it must be more important."

"Bingo."

Sai looked at me with what seemed to be a new respect, "You may be butt ugly, but you're quite brainy."

I felt my eye twitch, "Hey, just watch what you're saying. So, does the rule apply in this case?"

"I suppose it does. Hm, now what did that mute say again? I was surprised by the way, didn't know he knew how to talk."

"Ha-ha, very funny Sai. Continue."

Sai nodded his head in appreciation, "I see. You are suggesting that you find my words funny, when it is not funny at all. I believe that is called sarcasm. Very nicely used."

"Sai…" I said warningly.

"Anger." He noted, and then quickly got back onto topic, "He wanted to know if I had any books on relationships."

"…What?" I eyed him incredulously, "Are you serious?"

"Quite. My art of lying isn't very up to scratch you know." He replied seriously, "I showed him my library and he picked out the most peculiar book. Actually quite advanced you know."

"And the book was?"

Sai thought for a split second, "_Head Over Heels_." He said, "Very, very advanced book. Rather girly though if I have to say for myself"

I didn't say anything in reply. What _was _there to say? The truth was, I was quite touched and amazed by his commitment to this whole thing.

"He started asking me a few simpler questions on relationships before he stopped and cursed."

"Cursed." I repeated stupidly, as the information made its slow way into my brain.

"Yes. Rather fiercely as well. And then he demanded that I draw him a bird to get to Naruto, cursing him to be a blabbermouth or something of the sort. Really. The dickless knows how to get on people's nerves doesn't he?"

The bird soared down and exploded into a million ink droplets. I hastily prepared myself to land, silently berating Sai for not giving me a warning first.

"So you're back." Kakashi drawled. I decided that since I was getting a whole rush of unimaginable facts, I might as well find out what the heck was wrong with Kakashi.

"It's horrible." He said darkly, looking very serious, "A catastrophe. It parallels the horror of the Third Great War."

I felt a pit of dread in my stomach, oh Kami, what had happened now, "What is it sensei?"

He looked at me dead in the eye, "They're censoring the Icha Icha Paradise movie." His face scrunched up in agony, "Isn't that just _horrible_? It's like destroying a _masterpiece!_ Jiraiya must be rolling in his grave! "

The feeling dissipated, but I was still feeling the aftershock, "What do you mean, parallels the Third War? Are you out of your mind?"

Kakashi sniffed, "Well, isn't someone feeling cynical today. I don't understand how none of you understand how truly tragic this really is."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you actually going to teach us something today or wallow in misery and self-pity?"

Kakashi pretended to think for a while, "Well, there isn't really any self-pity involved so I guess I'll just wallow in misery and— Ow! That hurt!"

"Well there you go," I grinned, readjusting my gloves, "Congratulations, you have just obtained self-pity."

I turned my focus back onto Sai, "Now. Shall we?"

I moved as fast as I could, trying to dodge the squawking birds, blotting out the sky with their bodies.

_Where is he?_

A flicker of movement on the left caught my eye, and I instinctively ran towards it. But I should have known that there was no way someone as skilled as Sai would have made such a basic mistake. A black tiger leapt out and sank it's fangs into my arm. I gritted my teeth and sent a burst of chakra to overload it. Black ink exploded over my clothes. I fumed at the sight of them, that bastard, these ink stains take _weeks _to remove and he knew it. Clawing blindly, I tried to find an opening where I could actually see something. Kakashi's voice drifted through.

"Sakura, watch enemies, read their moves!"

Easier said than freakin' done. I couldn't see a bloody thing in this mess. Even if Sai himself was standing right in front of me, his face never gives any indication of what his next move will be. I can almost picture him now, outside of the bubble, drawing endlessly in easy strokes. I hit the ground hard to make myself fly up. After a few feet up, I finally felt pure oxygen flow back to my lungs. I zeroed in on Sai, but it was painfully obvious even to me that my movements had slowed and weakened considerably.

Using my strength, I directed a punch towards the ground, sending an earthquake-like tremor through it. The pad fell out of Sai's hand as he quickly leapt up.

This was the turning point for me of the battle. Where I actually had the upper hand and I had no idea what to do. I had no plan, no move, nothing.

In haste and desperation, I aimed a futile kick towards Sai's exposed abdomen, which was batted away without much effort on his part. In a blink, he appeared on my right side, and in a smooth maneuver, flipped me hard onto the ground. And that was it. The fight was over. I closed my eyes to avoid the harsh glare of sunlight and to hide the tears welling up.

I hadn't given my all and I knew it.

"Wallowing in self-pity are we?"

I opened my eyes; Kakashi's tone was cold and brittle. A burst of pent up rage exploded in my chest. I struggled to keep it down.

"No." I said in a clenched tone, "Of course not." I got up and glared at Kakashi.

_You're being unreasonable_. My conscience told me.

Oh shut up. I pushed it down angrily and swung a hard roundhouse kick at Sai. He stopped it with a grunt and a bit of surprise in his eyes. My anger seemed to be increasing every second. He started to lift his brush, without looking at him; my hand darted out in a quick, sharp movement and pressed the soft spot in his wrist, causing the brush to fall with a gentle _clunk_. For a split second, his eyes followed the brush on the way down. I tightened my grasp on his wrist and used my other hand to grab his forearm. Before he could even look back at me, he was staring at the clouds with the air squashed out of his lungs and two fingers at his throat. He gave a smile.

"That was unexpected Ugly."

I withdrew my hand and I looked at Kakashi, the anger subsiding my now, leaving me feeling hollow and drained. Kakashi replied with a crooked smile.

"Now _if _you do _that_, then you'll definitely give your opponent something to think about." He remarked, then looked at me meaningfully, "If you handled everything with that kind of resolve, wouldn't you get the same crisp outcome every time? Minus the whole I-rage-at-you-and-beat-you-up thing, more of the determination to beat down your obstacles."

I blinked and tried to find my reply, "Well, it's not always easy."

"No," Kakashi agreed, "It's not. But someone always has to make the first move, otherwise, when is the problem ever going to go away?"

With him saying it in such simple terms, it made me realize how stupid I had been this entire day, and how much I had over reacted. I had probably scared the poor Uchiha out of his wits, though to say that he didn't deserve it…well, that was an entirely different case.

But I thought about how he had gone to Sai and Naruto, seeking for advice from _them_. He had certainly thrown away all his pride and arrogance to do so. What was it that he really wanted to find out?

It's funny how that perverted sensei always knew what to say.

* * *

I left training earlier than I probably should have. My excuse was that I forgot something important at Ino's house, but I knew that Kakashi and Sai knew that I just needed time to think by myself. Which I did, for a really long time. Before long, I heard the front door slam and someone walk in through the door. My heart gave a funny jump. The Uchiha. Why is he back so early?

"Crap." I muttered, checking to make sure my chakra was still concealed. (Hey, a kunoichi can afford to be paranoid can't she?) I waited a while hoping that he leave soon since I still wasn't entirely ready for confronting him. After ten minutes, there was still some shuffling to be heard downstairs. I crept out of my room and peered down from the top of the stairs, everything seemed normal. And then, I saw the orange flicker of a flame and smelt a slight burning smell. Panic numbed my senses. Oh Kami, did he get bitter about me ignoring him and decide to set fire to the house? I quickly dashed down the stairs and found myself face to face with him.

And my lounge.

Which was overloaded with candles. Not the warm, few candles glow, but like the intense glow of total overkill. It's like someone had spewed candles into my lounge. I froze.

Sasuke looked at me with shock, "Sakura," He croaked, "I didn't – I thought you were at Ino's – I – why are you home?"

And my curtain.

Which was on fire.

"Sakura?" His face looked confused as he looked at my horrified expression, "Is it the candles? The smell was meant to be lavender but nothings coming —"

"M-my curtains." I stammered. Sasuke looked a little worried.

"What?" He peered down at me, "I can't hear yo—"

"MY CURTAINS ARE ON FIRE!" I shrieked, finally reacting and slapping down my coat to douse the fire. His face turned pale as he ran into the kitchen, emerging a while later with a bucket full of water. The black smoke curled up and out the open window. I blew out all the candles frantically. I couldn't help it, I was laughing because of the total absurdity of the entire situation.

"Oh Kami." I breathed, leaning against the wall after the last candle was blown out, the Uchiha appeared awkwardly and shamefaced by my side.

"I apologize for this." He mumbled, not daring to look at the burnt mess.

I grinned a little, the tension after that seemed to have completely faded away. My head was surprisingly clear now.

"I think we need to talk." I said after a deep breath, "I apologize for my behavior last night, it was very irrational. I know how it feels to confess and the difficulty of doing so, but I really can't return your feelings right now."

He nodded, "I understand, the book said there was a possibility of this happening."

I looked at him suspiciously, just what did that book have in it?

"Is there a possibility…?"

I hesitated, should I tell him the truth now? Or will I pretend that I actually feel nothing for him? I looked at him, and saw the many emotions strewn across his face. I just couldn't lie.

"Yeah." I closed my eyes and shook my head, "But, I just can't go through that again Uchiha. I can't afford to."

His look was pained. Just a little though. "I understand. It won't happen again." He cleared his throat, "But, I know I should also endeavor," He said weakly, "If I drop it right now, I may lose the chance forever."

The last sentence had broken the awkward moment entirely. I twitched. What? What was this? Some soppy drama? Those words cannot _possibly _be coming out of the mighty Uchiha.

He looked off in a distance, seemingly completely nonchalant. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"So, when you were asking Naruto and Sai about those particular questions oh, er, _love_, what exactly were you planning to find out."

He seemed to choke on seemingly nothing, coughing a couple of times before settling for looking anywhere but at me.

"So you heard about that." He growled, "Stupid loudmouth couldn't keep his mouth shut."

"No," I smiled cheekily, "Even with your attempt to keep his mouth shut."

He opened then closed his mouth, looking at me somewhat darkly, "I underestimated you." He muttered darkly.

"Why of course," I said sweetly, "But you haven't yet answered my question Uchiha. What did you want to find out so badly?"

"What love means," He mumbled, "What I did wrong. And to tell the truth I'd sooner call the dobe a genius than try to understand that poetic rubbish."

I blinked, holding back a chuckle, "I see."

"But, in reply to your own reply," He said, finally looking me in the eye, "I will make you fall in love with me w-wit—"

I tried my _hardest_ not to laugh, but an upward twitch of my lips betrayed me, Sasuke turned a light shade of pink.

"Argh, I just can't do this!"He sank to the floor and laid his head in his hands, "Who the hell makes up such corny shit anyway?"

It was the first time I've seen the Uchiha so frustrated, and it was just so _damn _funny, I couldn't help but let loose the laughter. After I was done, I wiped my eyes and kneeled down so I was level with him.

"Fall in love with you?" I pressured him to complete the sentence. He shook his head.

"I'll just do the other things from the book." He said, his hands suddenly shooting out and grabbing me. Before I knew it, I was pressed against him. My face turned red, and my hands stayed limply at my side.

_It's from the heat._ I insisted to myself. Nothing more. This whole situation was too dangerous for me in my current state, and I knew it. But I couldn't push him away.

"I know I do not understand anything about love." His voice was soft and maybe even vulnerable, "But I can learn."

"Uchiha?" My voice came out muffled.

"Hn." His chin shifted, he was looking away, and I knew it. He was embarrassed.

If his future romantics involved burning down the rest of my house, I would hunt down all the candles in the stupid world and put an end to them all. But this moment, I could live with. Even if it was just for a while.

* * *

**~NeXt Up: ChApTeR 14: RoUnD OnE: CoMpLiCaTiOnS~**

* * *

**~AuThOrS bLaH~**

**Hope you enjoyed that! This version was like my, fourth or fifth attempt :S. After moments of frustration and yelling at my computer screen, I finally decided to grit my teeth and get on with it.**

**AND HEY! We even got the Uchiha hugging! I see more progress! HA!**

**So, totally looking forward to your reviews as always – constructive criticism or just opinions, I'll read them all! If there's anything you think will spice up the plot, please tell me, and I'll try to weave it in somewhere – haha, that actually made it sound like I had an actual plot planned – which I don't btw.**

**ANYWAY! Until the next chapter! (Assuming I'm not dead already from my exceedingly terrible exam scores),**

**Ciao!**

**~CaNdY.~**


	14. Round One: Complications

**HEY GUYS!**

**I'M BACK.****Yes, I haven't died, though my long absence was really terrible of me *apologizes profusely*. Blame exams and writers block. I hate them both. I made this chapter a little longer, in hopes to make up for it, though if you feel as if the quality has degraded, then tell me immediately, because I have been a bit here and there lately, and I appreciate all your support and reviews!**

**WE BROKE THE 200 REVIEWS MARK!****! THANKS TO YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

**And! As a slight attempt to regain any hope that you have lost in me, I actually had the chapter fully typed up and then my computer was completely reinstalled and I lost EVERYTHING. All of the stories and all of it. So, this is, fresh! Though I couldn't find some of the old research 8cry8 but if there are any mistakes or such, let me know please!**

**COMMENCE CHAPTER 14!**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto, or anything else at this point apart from lots of exam papers. TT_TT**

* * *

**~ChApTeR 14: RoUnD OnE: CoMpLiCaTiOnS~**

* * *

"Well." Tsunade gave a small smile, "It's nice to see the two of you have made up so soon."

I felt my face grow warm as I looked at her carefully, did she know more than she let on? Impossible, I shook my head, unless she had planted cameras in our rooms. I blanched, I shouldn't underestimate her, she might have, and the security for Uchiha might have been tighter than I was informed.

"What a sad breach of privacy." I muttered to myself. Though unfortunately, not as quietly as I had initially thought.

"Well, I don't think I quite know what you mean Sakura," Tsunade smiled slyly, "but is there something _you_might want to tell me?"

"Of course not." I said, smiling sheepishly, quickly glancing at Uchiha. His face remained emotionless as he stared straight ahead. It was hard to believe that he had actually shown a variety of emotion just a few hours before. Maybe that's all he had for a month. Like a small, underused chakra tank.

"Anyway, what have you come to see me about?"

"Uh, my house." I said, snapping back to the topic, "We've had some … problems. The curtains are a pile of ashes on my carpet, the glass has melted, the walls are charred and there's this constant stink of something burnt floating around."

She raised an eyebrow, "And how exactly did that happen?"

Sasuke twitched a little then cleared his throat. I thought he was about to say something, but after a few seconds he still remained silent, Tsunade looked at us expectantly. I looked at him desperately in a hope that he would at least say _something_, even if it _was_to shift the blame on that stupid book, but his mouth was set in a grim line. Unmoving. Great. Just throw me under the bus there won't ya buddy.

"Well?" Tsunade tapped her fingers impatiently on her desk.

"I, uh," I glanced at Uchiha, "I wasn't at home at the time," I smiled sweetly in return to his look of surprise, "I'm sure Uchiha can inform you."

That'll teach you to keep quiet.

He looked at me for a moment, the lower part of his eye giving a miniscule twitch every five seconds, "Katon Karyuu Endan got out of hand," He said awkwardly, Tsunade continued to wait for more, he coughed lightly, "The stove wouldn't light."

I gaped at him, a prodigy and _this_was the best excuse he could come up with? He was trying to light our _stove_with a high level fire jutsu? Maybe it's his people skills, or maybe the sudden overload of emotions has rendered him _mentally constipated._Tsunade smiled. I almost groaned, we were so busted.

"I see. So, what exactly do you want me to do about it?" She said lightly, as if to humor us.

"Fix it." I said resolutely, feigning anger, "I want the Council to pay off the damages."

Tsunade's eyebrows shot up so high they could have disappeared off her face, "The Council?" She spluttered, for once at a loss for words.

"Yup. Firstly there is no way that I'm going to bust into my bank account, which may I just add, is looking very under the weather as it is, to pay off a type of damage for which_their_client was responsible for, the very client who wouldn't have been in my house the first place if it wasn't for them." I shot Uchiha a subtle apologetic look, who gave a nonchalant shrug in reply.

"That's quite interesting," Sensei cackled, nodding slowly, "Don't worry, giving those old buffoons grief has yet to bore me, and I'll see if I can do that _plus_some new renovations."

"That'll be great." I said, satisfied, "Now that you mention it, I could use some new couches."

"I'll see what I can do." She winked, "But, where will you two be living until then?"

I looked at her blankly, "What do you mean? How long is this going to take?"

"Quite a long time." Tsunade commented, "Konoha is still finishing up the repairs from the Pein incident, so, it'll be a while before the workers move on to your house."

"Um, I suppose we could stay on the upper story." I said weakly, I hadn't really thought about the other workers being occupied.

"With the window downstairs gone? I don't think so. What if it rains? Go home and pack your bags, as luck has it, I have a Council's meeting in about an hour. Report back at sunset, I should have everything sorted out by then."

I nodded, wondering where she was going to put us. My eyes wandered over to the corner, where a chest sat, looking very similar to the one which had been crushed this morning.

"You got a new chest didn't you?" I said wryly, giving the replica a once over, "How'd you fake the contents?"

"Oh, that." Tsunade said casually, "I filled it with cracked bottles and a bottom coating of a sake-smelling substance. I'll just pretend that I dropped it or something."

"She's too smart to fall for that." I objected, "There's no way you'll get away with it."

Tsunade gave me her own version of a good guy pose, "There's nothing a Hokage can't get away with."

"What?" She said defensively at my skeptical look, "It's not like I'm scared of her or something."

I shook my head and sighed, standing up. If I was merely _in_ denial, Tsunade was _drowning_ in it. Uchiha remained silent the whole time, silently observing the situation. He stood and bowed, "I'll be leaving then."

He left, I lingered behind a little, giving Tsunade a suspicious look, you know, just to let her know that I was onto her, about those camera things. But, maybe I was being paranoid.

She gave a coy smile in return. "Oh yeah, Sakura, I'll try get those camera's taken out of your house." Tsunade winked, "Meanwhile, keep yourselves under control."

Or not.

I flushed, opening and closing my mouth for the right statement to come along. And as usual, it didn't.

"Wha—" Insert applause here for my ingenious and scathing reply.

"It was necessary." She said defensively, lying through her teeth, "For surveillance reasons. Anyway, congratulations on opening that boy up, unfortunately you did it a tad too soon. Couldn't you have held it off for a week or so?"

I coughed, "You bet on me?"

Tsunade gave an innocent look, "Me? No! But hypothetically speaking, if I _did_bet on you, then you could be reassured that that fifty bucks is coming out of your paycheck. Hypothetically speaking of course."

"You only had fifty bucks on me?" I asked, baffled, before giving a small grin, "Where's the faith?"

She shrugged and looked pointedly at the door, "See you at noon."

I growled and opened the door. Lo and behold, who should be standing there other than Shizune.

"Hey _Hokage_-sama," I called after my shoulder, "Guess who's back."

Shizune gave me a warm look before entering the room. There was a frantic scrambling sound heard as I shut the door and some hurried conversation making.

After around five steps, I could hear Shizune roar, "YOU DRANK ALL THE DAMN SAKE DIDN'T YOU! AND WHERE'S YOUR PAPERWORK? YOU HAD _BETTER_ FINISH IT TODAY!"

I chuckled. _Busted._ Uchiha shot me a puzzled look from his waiting spot, which I merely shrugged in reply. "Karma's a bitch."

"Hn." He said, clearly not really seeing anything. He glanced to the side quickly, "I have some unfinished business I need to handle."

"Now?" I asked, "What about packing…? It's not long till sundown."

He nodded once, "There isn't much to pack," His mouth twisted into a strange, ironic line, "I'll be back before then anyhow."

I watched him leave, feeling somewhat curious. Then shrugged it off, I pulled my arms back into a wide stretch, hearing a couple of joints pop. I guess it was time to head off to training, I'd already packed, I could just bring the luggage down later.

* * *

The training fields were full with rookie teams, I finally spotted a court which looked just about deserted, I hopped over the fence and looked around for a good spot to start warming up. And that's when my toe prodded something lumpy and soft. I jumped back in shock; it seemed to be something, no someone, terribly beaten as well. Was he still alive? I eyed the spiraled headband in shock and quickly knelt to check for a pulse, it was there, steady and beating. But wait; there was something awfully familiar about this hand, and this uniform. Dear Kami, it was bright orange, how could I have missed that?

Probably the overly swollen flesh that did it.

"Naruto?" I asked incredulously, prodding him with a finger. The orange bunch turned over and groaned; perhaps I had the wrong person?

Silly me. Of course not, there's only one person in this whole world who would have such a tasteless fashion sense.

"Naruto!" I gave him a nudge, sending him rolling for a couple of feet.

"Owwwww." He moaned, "Sakura-chan, what happened? It hu-urts."

I felt anger flare up in me, "Who the crap did this?" I asked furiously, feeling my blood boil, "Was it that redhead?"

He seemed to croak a little, I leaned in closer to listen, "H-," He tried again, "H-Hyuuga."

My eyes widened, "Those girls?" I stood, wasn't this going a little too far? But wait, how many of those girls were needed to turn Naruto into this sobbing state? His hand grabbed at my ankle.

"Hiashi." He said with difficulty.

I blinked, then a couple more, "Wait, what? What the hell happened?"

He coughed a little more; I gave him some of my water. Then he turned his head to give me a look, not sure what type it was, kinda hard to see under the swollen flesh, "You know, picking a fight with Hyuuga Hiashi really wasn't one of your brightest ideas Sakura-chan."

The anger fizzled out, after the initial shock had worn out, I could finally see how comical this whole situation looked, "I see." I said slowly, "Well, I said have a _training_match with him, I don't think I mentioned to go all out."

The swollen flesh twitched a little into what I could only assume was another facial expression, "Well, turns out that the words, 'Let's go train,' have the equivalent meaning to 'Hey, come beat me up!' Not only did I show that I was a weak little midget but geez, I finally found out why they like to grow their hair out so long."

I laughed, "Okay, why?"

He shot me a look while flashing some white teeth into what I think was a smile, "Don't you know? It has a bloody good effect in battle; it's like _whosh, whosh, whosh._While I'm bleeding a river, he's all sparkling and _Hi-yah!_"

I laughed out loud this time, "Yeah it does have an elegant effect doesn't it?" I said, glad that at least his sense of humor remained unharmed,

"Elegant my ass, more like a deep desire to cosplay."

I laughed again, patting his hair, "Would you like me to heal you then?"

He shook his head defiantly, "No way Sakura-chan, a man's gotta bear his manly scars of war, but could ya help me up?"

With a grunt, I hoisted him up, "Surely Hiashi wouldn't have so much of a cold heart to beat you up this badly," I said, straining under his weight.

"Well," He grimaced, "I stayed cause I didn't want Hinata to see how badly I lost, and a couple of genin kids thought I was some weird creature and thought it'd be fun to take a few kicks at me, if I ever see them again…" He attempted to lift his fist but gave up, "Ow." He sniffled, "On second thoughts Sakura-chan, could you just heal me a little?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled.

* * *

"HAHAHAHA, I NEED AIR, AAHAHAHA," He had to stop, as he continued to hold his newly healed stomach; "HE DID _WHAT?_"

I laughed as well, before turning red at remembering what came next, the bit I _didn't_tell Naruto about. "I know right? I blame you and your own dating awkwardness, and Sai and his social constipation, you guys are misleading him."

Naruto held up both hands in defense, "Hey, hey, Sai I totally understand, but me? Dude, the ladies _love_me."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

"That's right," he huffed, "I always take Hinata-chan to Ichiraku cause I know she loves it there."

I frowned and whacked him on the head, "No, you idiot, _you_like it there." He opened his mouth to interject but I scowled at him and he shut it with an audible _click_, "She only likes going there because she hasn't the heart to say no."

"How could anyone ever say no to Ichiraku?." There was a pause as I looked at him pointedly, "Well," He scratched his head, "Where _does_she like to go then?"

"Ask her yourself you baka." I smiled, shaking my head. He snapped his fingers.

"Yes. I will. Tonight." He muttered decisively."At Ichiraku." We came into view of my house; Uchiha could be seen through the wall solemnly packing his things.

"And remember, you can_not_ tell Sasuke _anything_ from this conversation." I whispered fiercely. Naruto gave his lazy grin,

"Me, Sakura-chan?" He asked innocently, "Why, of course not."

I narrowed my eyes threateningly at him as we opened the door, or rather, why bother, I could have easily just walked through that hole instead, save myself the trouble of getting my key out. Uchiha was sitting on the stairs with a small bag of luggage; my own large flowery suitcase (courtesy of Ino of course) gave a big contrast. But what was strange was, I'd sworn I had left my baggage in my room; did he carry it all the way down?

"Oh," I said in surprise, "Did you wait long?"

"No." He shrugged, and then tilted his head to a side; it took me a few seconds to realize that he was looking at Naruto behind me.

"Dobe." He greeted stonily. There was a giggle behind me and I swiftly jabbed my elbow into his stomach.

"Ow." He whined, "Sakura-chan, that hurt…" he then caught sight of Sasuke again, and burst out in an uncontrollable peal of laughter. I winced and stole a look at Uchiha, his face was turned away but there was a slightly red tinge to it. I held both hands up in front of me to show defeat,

"Um," I said nervously, taking a slow step back, "I can explain."

His gaze shifted to me, eyes furrowed, "You told him." He said darkly, I fidgeted.

"Not all of it." I whispered guiltily. He visibly relaxed a little; Naruto pounced right onto it though,

"Not all of it?" He whistled, "Come on Sakura-chan, what more is there?"

"Nothing, none of your business," Uchiha cut in, glaring fiercely at Naruto, "What are you doing here anyway?"

Naruto mock gasped, "He speaks more than three words at a time! What a miracle," He grinned again, "Oh don't get your boxers in a knot, just exchanging a few stories with Sakura-chan, which reminds me, I have to go now." He finished quickly after seeing how Uchiha's gaze didn't soften, "See ya later!"

Even after the door slammed shut, I could hear him chuckling outside. I was careful not to look anywhere near Uchiha's face.

"You told him." He repeated accusingly. I pouted a little.

"You burnt down my house!" I shot back.

"Partially."

As if that made it any better.

* * *

"Okay," Tsunade gave a little push on her chair, causing it to turn left and right, "The Council has made the decision."

"And?"

"Well, they've decided that the two of you shall move into the old Uchiha manor for the time being."

"The old Uchiha manor?" I blinked, looking at Sasuke, who remained impassive, "I thought that they said that Sasuke couldn't go near it."

"Well. The Council decided to lift it for the time being," Tsunade said lightly, "They seem to making allowances left and right for you Uchiha."

Uchiha shrugged again. It was his, _I'm-so-cool-why-wouldn't-they-be_shrug. Creepy how I know that. "Are you sure about this?" I said softly, "I mean, going back there, it might be a little too soon."

He actually didn't look as calm as he usually did. But, men will always try to be…well, manly. He just nodded and looked away.

"Well." Tsunade said weakly, looking at the two of us, and the dampening mood, "At least we got the Council to pay for damages, yay! Why don't we celebrate with some sake?" Followed by a loud "NO!" from Shizune in the next room.

I could hardly take in anything else; I _am_ a little curious to see what the Uchiha Manor was like, but, after their past, stepping into their Manor while I still, somewhat or had wished ill of their only surviving member seemed to be slightly disrespectful, since I wasn't even part of the family. I don't suppose Uchiha could feel any better, he seemed if anything, relieved to get away from that house, I wouldn't exactly like to set foot back into a house where I had seen murder of my family either.

"… and okay, since obviously no-one is listening, let's just stop this meeting here, you are to move in immediately." Tsunade stamped the council's order, "Off you go."

I reluctantly got up, leaving to get my suitcase.

"I'll get it." Uchiha muttered, passing me quickly. I stared at him, what exactly could be going on inside that head of his? Was this a pure, sweet gesture? Or just because his head was so knocked from the news he couldn't see that the flowery bag he was holding was mine?

I can't believe how complicated he just _had_to be in all areas of life.

* * *

"Round Two is coming up," Kakashi said, "You guys have to start to perfecting all your techniques to make them rock solid."

"Yeah, yeah, got it already," Naruto drawled, "Can we go practice now?"

"Hey, I'm trying to give you some godly advice here!" Kakashi whacked Naruto, "You'll do well to listen to it."

Naruto laughed before towing Sasuke away. Kakashi turned his gaze to me.

"And Sakura, have you got everything sorted for this round?"

"Yeah, just about." I answered, pulling on my gloves.

After a few other words of 'godly wisdom', Kakashi left to issue his godliness on the other two. I leveled my eyes back onto the training field, where Sai was doodling a whole colony of birds and grimaced. I knew I shouldn't have left him alone for so damn long.

I dragged myself off the training field, Uchiha was waiting impatiently for me beside our luggage, and we hadn't had a chance to go to the Uchiha Manor. The streets we walked down, truthfully, they scared me. So dark and empty, it was easy to remember that they had had a past to them.

"Um, so, why didn't anyone move into this area?" I asked awkwardly to break the silence. He glared at me.

"It's Uchiha territory." He stated simply.

Open mouth. Insert foot. I flinched when I realized how insensitive the question sounded. What was I expecting? Some retail agent to come whisk the place away? Stu-pid.

We finally came to the Manor. It was huge. But then again, what was I expecting? Everyone knew that the Uchiha clan held a very high position in Konoha…at least, did.

"Put your luggage here." He said sullenly, indicating to an open room. It was spacious but very empty; I picked up a small picture frame and gently brushed the dust off of it.

"This –" Then stopped myself when I realized that I might be prying into a very delicate situation.

"My mother loved pictures." He said quietly, "I didn't like to come home often after the massacre so the house is a bit messy right now."

I nodded, remembering how he had rented an apartment close to the training grounds. There was a heavy silence where I didn't know if I should say something or not, he gave a funny cough-like sound in his throat,

"I'll sleep next door." He said, leaving the room. I took one more look at the photo. It was Sasuke and Itachi. The one I was more surprised to see was actually Sasuke; he seemed so different to the one standing just here a couple of seconds ago. Something I couldn't quite place a finger on.

I moved to the nightstand, staring at the multiple frames lined up. His mother had a kind face yet eyes which seemed to be stern if they wanted to be. His father, well, he looked respectable, slightly intimidating though, even in the pictures. Itachi looked the same as always, just, slightly lighter, as if carrying less of a burden.

The house was laden with memories, although some pictures were happy, they still gave the room a sad aura. I glanced at the door, trying to sense Sasuke's chakra, it had left the building and was somewhere outside of it. It seemed too soon for him. For a child to walk in and see a bloodbath like that, it could be too soon forever. I was like a stranger intruding onto his private, buried life.

* * *

"So what's round two like?" I asked Neji, trying to pry some information out of him before we stepped through those doors,

"Classified." He said apologetically, "I wish you all the luck though Sakura-san."

I sighed, turning to see Sasuke tailing close behind me.

"Nervous?" I asked, nervous myself. I was hoping that if someone else was nervous, it would make me feel _less_nervous, dear Kami, I'm babbling like a schoolchild.

"No."

Well. There goes _that_brilliant ploy of self-comforting. I did a couple of slow breaths and tried to clear my mind, suddenly, I felt something cool brush my fingers, just for a while, I looked down in surprise, but whatever was there was gone. Shrugging I trudged ahead.

The crowd gathered there was insane. There was so much chatter that the noise was almost deafening. I felt myself slowly ease back into a relaxed state, now talking, _that_was something I could definitely relate to. Anko stood at the top of the makeshift stage in the middle of the stadium, in front of a massive gong.

I breathed deeply, before looking around, the crowd, although making such a loud racket was considerably smaller than the one we started out with, the villages seemed even except for slightly more Mist shinobi than any other village. Though it was hard to separate the contestants from spectators when the villagers themselves were chatting amiably and energetically around us.

Anko hit the gong, and the stadium immediately fell silent.

"Okay, congratulations on making it this far, I suppose." She pursed her lips, "But don't get cocky, this round is all about one-on-one sparring, as you all should know, there are two rounds to this part of the exam. You'll battle two opponents, one today and one tomorrow. Remember, you ain't trying to kill your opposition; it's a _friendly_match where you are only showing the judges the skills you have obtained throughout your training. If you lose, there is still the chance that you could pass the exam, and same goes the other, there is no guarantee of a pass even if you win."

Everyone murmured and prepared to sit down to enjoy the show.

"Not so fast!" Anko snapped just as my butt was about to make contact with the seat, everyone straightened up so quickly I swear I heard some spines click, "All contestants are to go into the isolation room until called upon, this is to avoid any ... _familiarization_with your opponent and his or her techniques, or," Her eyes landed on our group and a particular Uchiha, "any _copying_of techniques."

I knew at that point everyone had their eyes mentally directed at Uchiha even though they were trying not to turn their heads.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" Anko snapped, "Move it, cause the exam doesn't start until the last one of you has gotten their lazy ass into the isolation room!"

I cleared my throat nervously and tugged on Uchiha's sleeve, gesturing to Naruto to follow along, Sasuke turned silently well Naruto bickered the whole way.

"Oh man," He pouted, "I was so hoping to catch some action out there," He swung his arm around, narrowly missing a Sand ninja who glared at us angrily, "Watching others fight really helps pump me up!"

I watched as the people streamed past us, some casually chatting, some looking as though they wanted to jump onto the stadium right now, and some looking as though they wanted to bang their heads repetitively on the wall. I was somewhere between the last two.

We had to all sit in separate cubicles, and really, just not do anything. The silence was heavy as everyone twitched with anticipation and adrenaline. Each time names were called, the said people shot up faster and more eagerly than the people before. It was so insanely boring, after a few hours I was starting to suspect that this part was the interrogation part of the exam and they were testing us on how long it would take before we would start scraping our skin off with our fingernails. And I have to say, they wouldn't have to wait much longer.

"Haruno Sakura to the stadium!" An official finally barked out. I eagerly leapt out of my seat, the chair barely managing to remain upright. Sasuke gave me a nod while Naruto, not so discreetly pulled a big thumbs up and his 'winning' smile, no doubt blinding a few people in the process. I smiled nervously back.

_Breathe. Breathe. And for Kami's sake don't trip on your way out._

The stadium seemed a little different from the last time I had been there...smaller. But then again, logic would say no, it was merely because I was, well, _bigger_.

My opponent took about three minutes to show up. The villagers were chattering expectantly, wads of cash occasionally being transferred down to the front, no doubt in some bet. Hmm. I stretched wearily. The board flashed.

* * *

HARUNO SAKURA

VS

TAKEDA YUKI

* * *

Soft footsteps pattered along the sandy stadium. The newcomer had a green tint to her longish hair; between her straight cut fringe was her shiny Mist headband. Her dark eyes glittered but there was something behind them that I couldn't place. She wore clothes which covered her entire body, kind of like Lee's, except black. Even though I couldn't match the face to anyone that I've met before, there was still something vaguely familiar about her. I gave her a smile (after all, this IS a 'friendly' match) but she only stared stonily back before averting her intense gaze to Anko.

Anko waved us lazily into the starting circle, "Clean fight." She yawned, "No attempt at killing or whatever."

She kicked the gong. I watched my opponent carefully; her eyes had flittered back to me. In an instant she was in my face, mouth twisted in a snarl. I barely ducked in time to dodge the blow. Her fist swung inches above my head and I felt the wind fling my hair outwards. I quickly swept my feet in an arc hoping to catch her unawares, instead, her foot swung straight out to meet me. The air went out of my chest as I skidded backwards.

I coughed as the dust swirled around me. There was something off about this. I saw no chakra go into her fist, but as she swung at me, there was more power in there than was normal. Her hands reached her small belt, something clunked down.

_Smoke bomb_! I realized a second too late. I sent my mind out to find any chakra signals, but they had all completely disappeared. Without a trace. I was literally blind.

Something packed my stomach in and I blindly tried to grab at it. Too slow. I tried hiding my chakra signal. A kunai stabbed my arm and though it stayed, its owner quickly sped off again. Panting heavily, I refrained from sending chakra to the wound. But this pattern. Seems so familiar.

This person was an amazing chakra detector. Everything was swirling round, waiting to fit.

And then it did. I just had to make sure. I sent chakra to my feet and jumped out of the mess, in the air, I could see the smoke licking at the side of the stadium. Where was she? I felt a kick at my spine. Right behind me as it turns out. I swiveled around and just as I reached the peak of my jump I swiftly punched her, without any chakra, in the stomach, as she recoiled; I grabbed the fabric on her arm, and kicked her again, hearing the ripping sound of the sleeve.

She snarled and grabbed my leg, attempting to take me down with her; I grabbed the kunai from my arm and stabbed it into her bare shoulder. With an angry howl, she let go and plummeted to the ground.

I saw it. Confirmation. I knew who she was. I landed when she was just climbing to her feet. That look in her eyes, pure hatred and emptiness. No wonder she didn't reply. She couldn't hear.

"How's your ears?"I mouthed, tugging at my own earlobe. Her eyes widened, and then narrowed to slits, with an angry yell, she lunged for me but her anger blinded her and I easily tripped her.

The eyes hadn't changed though everything else had. Karin.

The bite marks on her shoulder showed through, an angry red through her pale skin. She stood up again, gave a feral grin.

"You've ruined me Haruno." Karin croaked, her voice rusty and unfamiliar. The examiner gave a start then looked at me; I shook my head back at her in response. "I had to come back. And get my revenge; smash that smug head of yours until you can't possibly bleed anymore. And then I will steal Uchiha away, that traitor. I'll make him pay too." She licked her lips, "Unlucky for you, it seems that Kabuto was entirely useless, I have retained certain… abilities from the drug."

A blur and she was gone. I felt warm breath over my shoulder a split second before I ducked, and a kunai whished over my head, some pink strands from the tips of my hair fell to the ground. I swept my foot back and tried pushed some chakra into her stomach. She avoided it easily and pushed my head back before I got the chance.

It was frustrating. She could sense where the chakra was gathering and anticipate my moves before I used them. I flexed my fingers. My mind working. Her normal strength now was on par with mine, but I couldn't use my chakra without her knowing. She would speed in and hit me before I could execute it.

I needed a plan. I mean, the girl isn't all that smart in times like this. I was running low on chakra too, I needed one good hit. I watched her cautiously as she regarded me with a triumphant smile. I feigned naivety and desperation, and sent a lot of chakra into my leg, lifting it as though I was about to cause a quake. At the same time I added a little extra into my fingertips. Chakra naturally flows through the whole body; I don't think Karin would focus on that tiny fluctuation. At least, I hope not.

As predicted, she came in fast, kunai ready. But I was quicker. Just. I tapped two fingers on both sides of her temples and sent the chakra streaming in. I could feel the chemicals in her body attempt to neutralize the chakra. Damn Kabuto. The normal dose wouldn't be enough to take her down. I streamed more in, feeling my body protest.

Karin's eyes widened and she screamed as the chakra finally added pressure to her skull. Her eyes started to fade in and out due to the light, which suddenly became very bright to her. She sank down and writhed.

"Nice job getting out of jail," I smiled, "When you go back, try not to lose any more of your sanity." I knocked her out.

The examiner raised the flag,

"Haruno Sakura is the winner!" She announced. The medics carried Karin away, and before I left, Anko caught me on my way out.

"Nice job Haruno." She smiled tightly, "Catching a criminal _does_look rather flash on your assessment."

"Why didn't you intervene?" I asked. I wasn't angry, just simply curious.

Anko tutted, "Well. Would you have passed up the chance to kick her ass?"

I laughed tiredly, "No. I wouldn't have."

She grinned and slapped me on the back, "Exactly."

* * *

At the medic room, the head nurse, whom I was familiar with, didn't hesitate to give me a telling off, "Haruno-san, you're too careless. Setting yourself up like that to take all these hits, it's going to wear you down! Take more care of yourself tomorrow, no more amateur mistakes." She said sternly, but with a twinkle in her eye.

"Got it." I smiled back and returned to the isolation room, promptly giving Uchiha and Naruto a grin. I sat in my seat and kicked back.

Sure I was tired. But I got to give Karin a seriously good beating.

All in a day's work.

* * *

"Karin." Uchiha repeated, looking at me. "You fought Karin."

For the tenth time.

I nodded. We were back at the Manor. Uchiha and Naruto had both won their matches (of course) and though both returned to the isolation room fairly quickly and with minimal damage, their opponents never returned. I can pretty much assume that one is burnt to crisp, and the other is blinded by the bright orange jumpsuit.

Uchiha was sitting at the kitchen table. Repeating phrases. Usefully.

And I was getting ready to make dinner for ten. Okay, technically only Naruto and Hinata are coming over, but Naruto counts as five or six people right? Uchiha can fill up the gaps. He looks all dainty, but he could eat you out of house and home for sure.

"Karin."

I sighed, dicing up more tomatoes. "No matter how many times you say her name, it won't change the fact that yes, I did fight _Karin_."

"Isn't she meant to be locked up?"

What is up with him today? His brain seems to be malfunctioning. "Maybe she escaped?" I looked at him, "Are you asking because you're concerned about her?"

"No." He replied, eyes not changing from their stare. Good. That sets my mind at peace.

Mind you, only because I don't think anyone should be concerned about her. Not because of anything else.

"You okay then?" He asked, his eyes never breaking away. I raised my eyebrows at him, and then grinned.

"I'm fine!" I said solidly, returning my attention to the pan, "And I _would_ask you to light the stove, but I'm afraid that you might 'accidentally' burn half the house down again."

"Hn."

* * *

After gobbling down dinner and watching Naruto reenact his epic match with a man from Mist, (with repeated gasps from Hinata) I was all tired out. I was all ready to drop down on my futon and pass out.

I was tired as hell but I couldn't sleep. The room was eerie and the floor was cold and hard, there wasn't a single sound or movement outside the house. It really did feel…deserted. I crawled up to look at that photo again. Sasuke's eyes were crinkled and twinkling. He looked…happy. Very happy, and carefree. It was an alien expression that I had rarely seen him use. For a long time, the black was just solid, filled with hatred, revenge and rage.

My gut wrenched as I thought of him now, he was halfway between both points, was it possible to bring him back? Just as I set the frame down, I heard a thump in the next room.

I quickly scanned for chakra. There wasn't anyone else in the house but me and Sasuke, and no one else outside. There was another thump. I grabbed my weapons pouch and crept through the doorway as quietly as I could. There was a sudden mumbling sound. I turned around quickly, but no one was there. It was coming from Sasuke's room.

He was rolling around in his bed; a light sheen of sweat coated his face as he flinched in his sleep. There were trails of tears down his cheeks. I crept closer, and listened closely,

"Don't –Don't, please …. Please" It was quiet, but the voice was fragile. I touched his shuddering arm, and all of a sudden his eyes flew open. Startled I tried to take a few steps back, but he grabbed me, his eyes had a wild look.

The room was suddenly too silent, apart from my breathing and his panting, everything else froze.

"S-Sasuke?" I said nervously, he looked at me, then at the room, as if he had no idea what he was doing and where he was.

"Stay." Almost like a plea. He closed his eyes again and drifted off.

I wiped the sweat from his face and sat awkwardly by his side. I considered singing to him, but that would probably invoke more nightmares.

_Stay_. His voice echoed. Was it meant to make me feel the way that it did? It's all in my head, definitely. But regardless of whether he meant it, or it was just a product of his sleepiness, it made my head spin, and it made the butterflies in my stomach go insane.

Or. That could just be the lack of sleep.

* * *

**~NeXt Up: ChApTeR 15: RoUnD TwO: ThE TrUtH~**

* * *

**Yesh, it was slightly different to my other chapters, though I really hoped you enjoyed it all the same! I had to restart like ten times D:**

**UNFORTUNATELY, Sasuke's reverted back to his old constipated state, but not to worry, I'll get him back to that new Sasuke soon… in bits :D**

**The next chapter may be a slight while away, exams, the natural enemy to people like me TT_TT**

**SO ! As usual, I look forward to any comments, reviews and criticisms! Thanks for your support through long and frustrating periods, which I shall endeavor to not repeat lest some of you decide to chuck rotten fruit at me the next time ;) Jokes, jokes, but…**

**UNTIL THE NEXT CHAPTER (which is taking shape in my head right about now)!**

**Ciao!**

**~CaNdY~**


	15. Round Two: The Truth

**HI GUYS! Apologies for the extremely long wait, despite my hopeless promises of attempting to update faster!**

**It was mean of me to leave you guys hanging _ and**

_**THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR AWESOME REVIEWS AND COMMENTS! It's impossible to put to words how much they mean to me :)**_

**I have learnt my lesson now ._. and will no longer promise fast updates as I don't know if I can keep them, though they WILL come, schoolwork is burying me without mercy, so it may be some time before the next chapter, though I won't leave it for too long! I write bits and pieces in my spare time, and I will DEFINITELY not leave this unfinished!**

**The chapter is a little different! (It was my fourth draft T_T )**

**So without further ado:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto!**

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN COMMEEEEEEENCE! :D (I hope you like it - And yeah, I did end up having to change the name AND I just rewrote the ending because I was sleep deprived on my first go and it sucked _ )**

* * *

**~ChApTeR 15: RoUnD TwO: ThE TrUtH~**

* * *

So. What do you do when a sweat-soaked, desperate Uchiha asks you to accompany him, platonically for a night? You freaking stay. That's what. Why, you may ask, would I do that to a guy who I have said several times prior that I hate and cannot stand? (Roughly that idea)

Because he was still semi-asleep, and had managed to snare my arm into a vice-like, bone-shattering grip. Ouch.

Nice try though. Might've had a bit of trouble answering that question if it had not been for that fact.

For obvious, uncomfortable reasons, I remained wide awake for the better part of the night, and when I _did _manage to fall asleep – or rather, passed out as a more appropriate term, I toppled onto him (sort of like if the Hokage Tower was to fall down like a domino, Kami forbid). It wasn't some sort of romantic, compromising position, in fact, I'm pretty sure I heard a whoosh of breath being quite literally knocked out of him as I landed. But at that point, I was too sleep-deprived to care.

Now. That was the easy part. Waking up, not so much. First thing I realised was that I was lying on a very hard surface – and that Uchiha had some serious ab-age going on there. The fact that his whole body was as tense as a board was not helping.

"You're awake." He coughed lightly, not very subtly trying to roll me off him.

"Urmaghhh." I replied intelligently. It was dawn. And I had slept for an hour. It'll take a while to kickstart my brain.

I lifted myself into a sitting position and stretched.

Then I saw it. The answer to a question that I, and undoubtedly half of the male population in Konoha had frequently wondered and envied over:

_Just how does Uchiha get his hair into that oddly fashionable Chicken Arse style? _

There was an era when many of the males were unsuccessfully trying to replicate it, which quickly subsided after their realising that they actually _looked _like a Chicken's Arse after it.

The answer was right in front of me. BED HAIR. If they knew that in reality, Uchiha was just too damn lazy to comb his hair, they would've shot themselves over spending so much money on the hair wax.

The humor would've amused me if I wasn't so cranky.

"Had a good sleep?" I asked sarcastically, trying to get some feeling back into my arm by the general wind-mill action.

"Hn. You?"

_WELL. _On the floor for about three hours. Pincer grip on my arm_,_ _what the hell do you think? _Unfortunately, I was constantly reminded with an annoying _ba-thump_ that the Uchiha had actually allowed me to use him as my futon for those said three hours.

"Meh." I shrugged, deciding to let it go, I glanced at him wearily, "You alright now? Was it a bad dream last night?"

He grunted, "Something like that."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Ah." I bit my lip. I didn't know if I was disappointed or slightly relieved that he didn't say more on the topic, but I didn't want to pressure him. It was pretty much a given that bad memories would seep about when you returned to the place where you basically saw your whole family killed. Admittedly, I was a bit worried that he was about to crawl back into his antisocial shell again.

He cleared his throat, and I realised that the silence had stretched for a _really _long time.

"So." He nodded at the door, "I need to get changed..."

"Oh." I looked down and my own pyjamas and felt the blood rush to my head, "Yeah, me too, I mean, in _my_ room, _not _yours -"

Oh Kami, stop talking. _Now_.

The Uchiha smirked, "Unless of course you want to stay and watch."

I was mortified. I gaped at him, then scurried to my feet and waited for my mouth to say something intelligent. After a few more seconds of me looking like a goldfish out of the water, I just settled for an angry mix of incoherent words before slamming the door behind me.

* * *

"I'm sorry stranger, have we met before?" Ino asked sarcastically, stopping me from entering, "Where have you been for the latter portion of my life?"

I apologized, pouted, made excuses and then finally pulled out the ultimate piece offering from my weapons poach. Chocolate.

Ino eyed it for two seconds before huffing and putting the chocolate in her nightgown pocket, "That's more like it." She stepped aside from the doorway and let me in. I made a move to go upstairs, but she held up an arm to bar me.

"No way," She grinned, "It's gonna take a bit more ass-kissing for you to enjoy the floweriness of my room again." I raised an eyebrow and she shrugged, "Daddy's asleep, he hasn't be sleeping well lately so I don't you and your clomping feet to wake him up." She pulled a face at me.

"Give me two seconds," She said, pushing me towards the living room, "I just need to grab a hair tie."

I blinked, and then plopped myself on the couch. Something told me that something was wrong upstairs, and as curious as I was, I wasn't going to ruin my good behavior probation thing. Ino returned a minute later, looking a little flushed. She sat down on the chair next to me.

"So what brings you in front of my awesome presence, right before your second round?" She grabbed a cushion and looked at me curiously. Yes. That's what I want to know as well.

"I needed some… air." I tried. As immature as it sounded, I didn't want to wait with Uchiha for about half hour for Kakashi to show up.

Ino raised an eyebrow, and gave me a calculating scan, "Is that so. Or… you're too broke to afford a proper psychiatrist. Spill Forehead. _Now_."

I denied it weakly for a while, until I realized that she was Ino, and even if she wasn't right, she would make it out so that she was. And she was. Right that is. I caught her up on _everything_, the fire, the manor, and yesterday night. She listened patiently, making small remarks now and then but stayed silent throughout most of it.

"I see," She grinned, "Uchiha asking _Sai _for advice, now _that's _some interesting goss."

I laughed, "Don't be too hard on him, he really tried."

"Yeah, I can see that, and you even got a nice cuddle out of it." She looked at me thoughtfully, "So, he burnt down your house and hugged you, and he's still in one piece today?" Her face lit up. With evilness. I swear. "So…you _like_ him." Ino translated.

I looked at her, sort of stuck between a horrified and embarrassed look, "_What?_" I choked, "Haven't you already asked me this about ten times in the last two months?"

"And yet I never get the same answer."

I was about to protest when I realized that, shit, she was right.

And she might be right about me liking him too. But there was just one more thing that stopped me from admitting it.

"He left me." I said, still trying to wrap my head around how, how _vulnerable_ I'd be again if I followed that path again, "That time."

"_Sakura… thank you."_

It was the first time that I had really resented those words.

Ino glanced at me, "But you're over that." She replied softly.

I was struck by her words, "_No, I'm not_" was my reflexive answer, but then I realized that yes, I was. If Uchiha had done something at least since his return, it was prove to me that there was something different about him. The bench thing still hurt, like a painful memory does, but I, disgustingly so, could understand why he did it.

"Sakura," Ino prodded gently, "I don't think he'll do that this time."

"Then I might just kill him instead of bring him back." I joked weakly, trying to distract myself from all of this, but Ino didn't fall for it.

"I think you're a bit scared." Ino said thoughtfully, "Opening yourself up to that again, I think you're scared it all repeating, and that you'll be hurt even more this time."

I stared at her, "You're really scary sometimes you know," I laughed, "It's frightening how much you know."

"I've been through it too before remember?" She reminded me, smiling, "But I don't regret taking that chance. Plus, you've never really asked him _why_."

"Apart from leaving Konoha for a pedophile with the longest tongue in the world?"

We sat in comfortable silence for a while, dwelling upon what was said. Suddenly, Ino looked at the clock,

"Hey, Forehead. Aren't you gonna be late?"

I looked too, and realized that for once Kakashi was probably going to arrive before me, and he would make sure I would regret it.

"Oh Kami, _crap._" I hurriedly grabbed my things, and said seriously, "Thanks for all the advice Ino-pig, and for listening."

She made a face, "It was all very soppy Forehead, but it's interesting. I need some drama in my life." She winked.

"Wait." I paused in getting up, "I thought that you_ didn't _like Uchiha."

"Yeah, I _didn't_." She shrugged, "But, he's saved your sorry ass more times than I can count already, and I guess that qualifies him for about half of the knight in shining armor."

"What happened to the other half?" I asked, then held up my hand, "Wait, don't answer that, otherwise I'm _really _going to be late."

"Just not enough time in the day." Ino grinned and gave me a quick hug, "Don't ditch for so long again Forehead," she warned, "otherwise you're going to need to get me a whole chocolate store to patch things up."

I was _just _about to leave, when I heard someone coming down the stairs. I turned to greet Ino's dad and apologize for possibly waking him.

"Is she gone ye - oh." The footsteps stopped dead on the staircase.

I glanced at him and back at the pink Ino,

"You need drama in your life?" I echoed, gesturing to the scene, "I think you've got enough for the two of us."

She choked and held up her hands in surrender, "Nothing happened!" she squeaked defensively,

I smiled sweetly, "Mm-hmm. I don't think you have to worry about anymore infrequent visits Ino-pig, I'll _definitely _be seeing you soon for an explanation of this." I gestured to the scene in front of me, "And Shikamaru, two things next time. One: put your shirt on, and two: leave through the window. With _your _IQ, I'm pretty sure you can imagine what Ino's 'daddy' will do to you if he found you."

I'm pretty sure he blanched a couple of shades. I winked and saw myself out.

* * *

I made it to the training grounds just three minutes before Kakashi, who was _supposed _to show up and offer us some last minute tips, _but_. Well. He's Kakashi. He _is _last minute. And thank Kami for that. Uchiha was looking relaxed, though a bit muddy. As was Naruto.

"I hope you two didn't wear yourselves out." I commented, glancing at a cut on Naruto's cheek, he waved me off.

"Just a bearing my manly scars," He beamed proudly.

"Yes, which is disappearing as we speak," I said dryly, watching the wound shrink, "So does that mean your manliness is also disappearing?"

Naruto blinked, "No!" He protested, patting his cheek, "Uh, it's being _absorbed _back into awesomeness."

Uchiha snorted. I looked at him for a few seconds, the conversation with Ino playing over and over in my head, when should I bring the bench thing up? Is there ever a right time for this kind of stuff? Would it disrupt the 'bond' we were starting to make?

Would I _care _if it did? It was hard to say. And serious thinking requires some serious food, so I put the problem away for when I had some snacks in my hand.

I seemed to be able to look at him without the embarrassment of this morning though.

The scene at Ino's was _priceless._ Funniest was Shikamaru's embarrassed and sheepish face though I have to admit that he actually had a pretty nice six pack going on there for someone who prefers to sleep and play Shougi and Go.

I chuckled at the thought of those two stammering their excuses. Uchiha eyed me curiously,

"Why are you so happy?" Uchiha asked, seemingly stoic.

"Oh, nothing, no reason." I grinned wickedly, his face twitched.

"Hey Naruto," I said brightly, "You know Uchiha drools in his sleep?"

Naruto spluttered, and then burst out in peals of laughter. Uchiha glared at me, I smiled my most angelic and innocent smile back.

"Annoying." Uchiha muttered, whacking Naruto on the head.

"OW. TEME." Naruto countered, "At least _I _know how to create a romantic atmosphere with_out _lighting someone's house on fire"

Uchiha glowered, "Dobe. At least I don't go out to the same restaurant every single night."

Naruto scowled and thought for a while, "Hold up a second here," he narrowed his eyes at Uchiha, and pointed at him accusingly, "at least I've _made _her dinner occasionally, have you made dinner for Sakura-chan?"

Uchiha frowned himself, "I have."

"No way," I interrupted, "Dinner generally means something with more than three components in it Uchiha, tomatoes only counts as one." I looked at Naruto who's ego at winning a verbal argument was inflating by the minute, "Naruto, making cup ramen doesn't count as dinner either."

Naruto looked so shocked that I had to laugh, "Sakura-chan!" He protested, "It's got noodles, carrots and meat!" He waggled three fingers at me, "DINNER."

Uchiha looked at me, "Was there something you wanted to eat?" He asked bluntly, eyes boring into mine.

"Um," My eyes tried to look everywhere else _but _at him, "Well…"

At that moment, a bird chose to gift Naruto with his excrements. Naruto scrunched his face up,

"EW!" He yelled, hands waving about, wanting to wipe it off his hair yet not wanting to touch it, "DUDE! YOU GET BACK HERE! THAT WAS TOTALLY UNCALLED FOR!"

Call me a bad friend but I silently thanked that bird, my mind had suddenly blanked out and now at least, there was a distraction. I looked at Naruto, who had a tearful expression.

"Oh calm down you," I grinned, "It's just ink."

"What?" He choked, "Like a flying squid or something?"

"Dobe." Sasuke mumbled, bored.

On cue, Sai appeared, looking rather satisfied with himself, the ink withdrew from Naruto's hair and back into his inkpot, "Surprise," he gave Naruto his smile, "Heard you almost got your head loped off by your last opponent dickless, that would've been a shame, I would've had to call you dickless _and _headless then."

Before Naruto opened his mouth to retort, Kakashi appeared. "Wait!" He said loudly, holding both hands up in surrender before we get yell at him, "I have a legit excuse this time!"

We looked at him unconvinced. "No seriously," He nodded, pulling out an orange book. Oh my. I wonder what that could be. "The Icha Icha Paradise fan book came out today; I had to wait in line for six hours to get it!"

He looked so proud of himself that I was speechless. Naruto's face was comical, "You." He stated, "Are so lame sensei, you gotta get yourself a girlfriend."

I bit back a laugh, even seeing a glimmer of a smirk on Uchiha's face. Kakashi bristled,

"What are you talking about? The ladies love me, I just don't want to settle down," He said flippantly.

"Oh," Sai said, looking confused, "So yesterday afternoon when the lady slapped you at the bar and called you those names, that was also a way of expressing affection? It must be rather advanced; I have not read up to that part in the book yet."

"Why – How – What were you –" Kakashi sighed exasperatedly, "Never mind, I'd rather not know."

"It was merely for educational purposes," Sai offered anyway ignoring the fact that Kakashi looked ready to castrate him, "I am now on the observational level of my emotional development."

He glared at Naruto who was laughing so hard that tears were coming out of his eyes.

I was laughing too. And then I looked around, _really _looked around.

Sai was actually showing a rather rare smile, Kakashi and Naruto good-heartedly bantering as usual and Sasuke looked as though he was bored with the scene but there was a slight raise to his brow which softened his features, he glanced at me.

As cliché as it was, I suddenly felt really happy. I smiled at him.

This wasn't like the 'old Team 7' at all, no matter how many times Naruto nicknamed it that. It was much, much better.

..

"_Haruno Sakura, contestant 1536, head to the stadium now, Haruno Sakura."_

_Finally. _I breathed a sigh of relief.

I kept getting the feeling that today had been going too well. Where was the chaos? I was _definitely _going to verse that red-haired girl today. Right after Karin as well, was I getting any points for wiping these girls off the market?

But when I reached the actual arena, I realized that no, it wasn't her. Unless she had aged about fifteen years, lost all her hair and had become a male in the space of a day.

Who didn't put up much of a fight by the way, ran away from me for about ten minutes before his stamina ran out, and got unconscious after one un-chakra-loaded punch to the stomach.

_Someone _tell me how he made it this far.

I sighed, a little disappointed I didn't get to show the judges some more. As they carted him off, and heard someone yelling. Looking up, I saw Hinata and Naruto and Uchiha looking at me. I offered a small wave and smile before heading to the medical ward for an obligatory check-up.

When I walked up the stairs to join the audience, the first thing I saw was Naruto waving furiously and Hinata trying to stop him from whacking the guy next to him.

"SAKURA-CHAN! CONGRATULATIONS!" He hollered, then pointing frantically at the seat beside Hinata. I grinned and walked up to join him, seeing Hinata lightly chastise him about exhausting his bandaged arm, to which Naruto sheepishly mumbled something in reply.

"Aw, you two lovebirds are making me feel all lonely." I cackled wickedly, watching a blush spread over Hinata's face.

"Sakura-chan," Hinata smiled, "Congratulations."

Naruto grinned, "Yeah, though there could've been more action."

I nodded in agreement, "It's so weird, I thought that this round would be much tougher."

I noticed something, or rather someone, was missing.

"Where's Uchiha?"

I looked through the crowd again half-heartedly; I had _just _seen him, where could he have possibly gone? Unless he took a toilet break?

_Uchiha's don't have bladders_. I could just_ hear _him say that as a retort. Great. I really _am _going nuts.

"Oh," Naruto looked around, "He was just here…and then he left."

I tried not to chuckle, very useful Naruto.

"Oh?" I tried to sound disinterested, "Do you know where he went?"

Naruto looked at my slyly with a slight waggle to his eyebrows, "Oh? Why?"

"I'm his babysitter basically," I added hastily, trying to divert him from whatever scary and strange things he was thinking of, "If he gets into any trouble, it'll be _my _non-sole-heir-to-the-clan head rolling around."

Naruto shrugged, "Whatever you say, but I really don't know anything." He earned a bonk to the head for his efforts. I didn't see much action going on in the arena either and didn't really want to interrupt Naruto and Hinata's couple time, so I stood to leave.

"Sakura-chan," she tugged at my sleeve, "Won't you watch the rest of the matches with me?" She smiled sweetly. I looked at her, than at Naruto, who looked equally confused.

"Are you sure? I don't want to be intruding on you two's time together."

"You won't be." She patted the seat again. Naruto blinked a few times, then shrugged, we spent the rest of the time talking about the matches and the opponents.

The red-haired girl resurfaced, and her skills were impressive. She was quick and evasive, rapidly putting her opponent into a tough position and ending the match. But to my disgust, she continued to beat at her opponent even after he had fallen unconscious, until the examiner had to threaten her to stop. I didn't get to see her comrades though; they had gone before me. Naruto told me about their matches, obviously impressed with their skills but again, chilled by their unrelenting nature towards their opponent.

I couldn't help but side glance at Naruto and Hinata sometimes.

The two of them were really good together. There were subtle and perhaps unconscious contact between them, Hinata was slightly angled in to Naruto when they sat, and Naruto had placed his hand over Hinata's, giving it an occasional squeeze.

It was sweet and kind of weird seeing them together like that. It was a different side to Naruto that I hadn't seen before; he was very gentle with Hinata. Hinata seemed more confident when she was with him as well.

I was happy for them, but there was a bit of jealousy floating around on my part too. Shikamaru and Ino, Naruto and Hinata, everyone else's lives seemed to be fitting with ease. Sure they both had hitches, but compared to my past with Uchiha, they were pretty small.I wondered if I was ever going to get anything like it, or if I should just start saving up on cats now so that I have a good stock of them for when I'm old and lonely.

* * *

I headed towards the manor after the match had ended (almost took the route to my house instead), leaving Naruto and Hinata to walk back to the Hyuuga household.

When I reached the Uchiha manor, I saw his shoes and that the lights were on.

"Uchiha?" I hung my bag up by the coat stand, there was a strange smell wafting through the house.

The dining room was dimly lit with a single candle in the middle of the table, which was already set. Seeing the candle gave me a minor heart attack, and I nearly had an urge to blow it out before something else destructive happened. I followed the sound into the kitchen.

Uchiha was there dicing some potatoes, his face furrowed in concentration.

Wearing an apron.

_My _apron from my house, the frilly one. I never thought I would've seen the day, where was my camera when I needed it? Team 7 is never going to believe this without proof. I gave a light cough and he almost dropped the knife, "I'm back," I grinned, "What's going on?"

"Making dinner." He replied, head ducked.

I leaned on the door frame, and cocked a brow, "Oh really? What's the occasion?"

"Hn." Uchiha tossed the potatoes into a pot, "Nothing. Just wanted to."

I saw the bench top lined with cooking books, with bookmarks everywhere. I took in the scene; everything suddenly clicking.

No wonder Hinata wanted me to stay with them; she must've pushed the Uchiha along. I smiled. This was definitely Uchiha proving Naruto wrong.

"_Hold up a second here, at least _I've_ made her dinner occasionally, have _you_ ever made dinner for Sakura-chan?"_

If Naruto knew that Uchiha had taken his words to heart, he would most probably dub himself the 'Love Master of All Awesomeness'.

"Can I have a sneak peak?" I asked, rubbing my stomach and walking over to the pot. It was filled with soup, consisting _mainly _of tomatoes, but with some other spices and things thrown in there as well.

It smelt nice; there was a tangy sort of aroma to it.

"Need some help?" I grinned, taking off my gloves. He finally took his eyes off of the chopping board and glanced at me. I saw that the temptation was great but his Uchiha pride refused it for him.

"Hn. Go take a shower." He replied before turning his attention back to things in front of him.

I grinned playfully, "No burning the house down this time, I don't think we have another place to go."

"Hn."

Although I was just a _little _bit worried leaving him in there, and what sort of dishes he'd lay out, it had been a _very _long time since someone had made dinner for me.

I took advantage of the situation. I grinned at him then grabbed my towel and scooted towards the showers before he could change his mind.

..

By the time I came out, dinner was already laid out on the table. The dancing flame of the candle set a pleasant atmosphere.

Uchiha was just finishing up laying out the cutlery and waited for me to take a seat before he did.

"Thanks, this looks amazing." I said, stunned as I looked at the array of dishes in front of me, I knew I was salivating.

"Hn." He said, though, he looked embarrassed. I smiled again.

"I see there's only one candle today," I said teasingly, taking a bite of the meat.

He smirked, "I don't make the same mistake twice." He replied seriously, "And the convenience store refused to give me more after last time."

I grinned. We had small conversation while eating, but to be honest I don't remember most of it. It was mainly about some of the changes in Konoha, people and places that we'd gone, carefully omitting the reason for why we had gone there.

I looked at him a few times during the meal (okay, more than a few times), _really _looked at him though. He was slightly different to how I thought he looked, his skin was still pale and he was still rather good looking; there was just a calmer and more comfortable air about him.

And, I won't deny it; a guy who can cook is attractive. Good thing his fan girls don't know about this, otherwise we'd have a _serious_ privacy problem on our hands.

The food was delicious; everything was literally cooked to perfection. Who'd have thought that Uchiha had an inner housewife side? Next thing I know, he could be telling me that he realized that Uchiha's can procreate by themselves too.

* * *

I glanced at him sitting on the chair just diagonally from where I was, dinner had ended almost an hour ago and now we were sitting in the living room comfortably doing some reading. For me, it was all the medicine notes that I had disgracefully neglected since the Exam started. To my dismay, the pile had completely snowballed; Tsunade often gives out a heck of a lot more work when she's prohibited from alcohol.

Uchiha had found some old jutsu's stored in the ancient, dusty library in the Uchiha manor and was carefully wiping the dust off each cover as he read them.

Was this the right time to ask? Again, it didn't feel like I could ever do it, but in a way, I wanted closure desperately now, just some proof that he _had _changed, and that I wouldn't go through emotional torture again this time.

He glanced up at me, "What's wrong?"

Wow. He won't know how much he'll regret asking me that.

_Might as well just be out with it and get it over and done with._

"Uchiha…" I trailed off as he kept staring, almost losing my confidence. _Slowly. _"I know that it's been a long time and all, but that time you left me on the bench, why did you do it?"

He knew exactly what moment I was talking about (Kami forgive he should forget, that'd be my cue to punch his lights out). His eyes widened slightly in surprise yet his face reflexively returned to his usual stoic expression.

"You left me on the bench Uchiha," I clenched my fists at the memory, "after I told you that I loved you, and that I would follow you anywhere. Why couldn't you have taken me?"

There was a silence as I waited for his answer. He set the books down, and rubbed his eyes, exhaling slowly. When he opened them again, they weren't bleary and tired looking anymore.

"I left you because," he said slowly, "you would have delayed the time taken to achieve my goal."

_I left you because you couldn't have handled it._

_I left you because I didn't love you._

_I left you because I loved you._

All these years, I had imagined up thousands of different scenarios in my mind, more often than not, with Uchiha saying some line that would instantly make me forgive him, make me sympathize with him, and make me regret hating him for all these years.

It didn't prepare me, as I thought it would, for the moment when I would actually hear the truth from his own mouth.

There was a pang of hurt, which I suspected would have jumped onto me regardless of his answer.

It wasn't the answer I wanted to hear, and it wasn't one that dissolved my guard. I felt short of breath and a bit pained, but at the same time, mildly glad that he didn't try to lie to me.

"You just left me there." I swallowed hard, focusing on my breathing so that I wouldn't start crying.

"If I had taken you back to the house, there was a greater risk that I would've been stopped by another person."

_Naruto. Kakashi. Tsunade. _Yeah, the possibilities of that happening were endless. No. In a way, he was lucky that it had only been me. Just Sakura. Easily overpowered and emotionally swayed.

Why had Tsunade-sensei let just _me _go then? Why not Naruto? My mind was raging with questions of _why _I was picked, when they knew that I was physically unmatched to the Uchiha.

"Sakura," His voice was low and steady, "We were both very different people back then. I was bent on revenge, I needed to fulfill it, and I felt like the drive and the thirst for it faded with every day I spent with you and Naruto. I _had_ to leave."

"What if Naruto or Kakashi had gone to bring you back? You would have accepted _their _offer." I shook my head regretfully, "Tsunade-sensei made a mistake. I was completely unfit to convince you to stay."

"No, she was right in her decision. If Naruto and Kakashi had come, it would've come to blows. Without a doubt. I might've been kept here by force, but I would've always been trying to get out. But with you, Tsunade-sama knew that you were the one with the most chance of changing my intentions and motives."

I just stared, speechless.

"It almost worked. But I couldn't let it. I didn't take you because I knew you could sway me from my objective," Uchiha replied quietly, "You made me forget that I was a Uchiha, and you made me forget that I had to utilize and grow my hatred in order to defeat my brother."

I finally found my voice. "_I _could've swayed you?" I chuckled, incredulous, "Uchiha, your mind was like a rock. You never heeded to anything that I had said to you. I don't think that I could've possibly changed anything."

He was silent for a moment. "Do you remember that day in the Forest of Death?"

"Which one?" I asked warily.

"The one when I woke up with the curse seal."

I nodded, I mean, it had been a pretty big day hadn't it? It was the first time that I had been tested by myself. With both Sasuke and Naruto unconscious, I had never felt a more paralyzing fear than I had on that day, feeling helpless and hopeless. I had forgone my vanity and shallowness that day, but more importantly, it had been the day that he had started to slip from our grasps.

"When the curse seal spread, it was like…electricity running through my veins. It was close to bliss, to feel that the rage and hatred in me had been changed to power, that I could use all the anger that had built up, and become stronger. But then, you…," He struggled to keep going, "You made those things disappear. And it was as if it all had dissolved. I forgot. It was done so simply, and faded so easily that I was scared." His voice lowered at the end of it, as he furrowed with concentration to continue.

My face reddened. The 12-year old girl within me was happy and pleased that she had had an influence on the Uchiha, but as for me, I was regretful. I finally knew how close I had come to allowing him to stay here, but then in a way, I knew that if he remained, the possibility of what could of happened if he had hunted down his brother would have haunted him for the rest of his life.

"I wanted something to return to." He said simply, voice lilting a bit as if he was also just discovering this himself, "I wanted a home to return to. With both you and Naruto there, waiting, remaining as you were, without being pulled into my past."

I closed my eyes, exhaling, trying to process everything. When I opened them, I realized he was still looking at me.

_Believe me._ Uchiha's expression pleaded, though his pride hindered him from saying so. I realized that he had not attempted to look away from me the entire time when he was telling me this. He was leaning forward, looking into my eyes with every word he uttered.

I got up from my chair and walked over till I was in front of him. He tensed, obviously unsure how I had taken this. I lowered myself so that I was staring him eye to eye, he shifted back unconsciously as I got close.

I slapped him as hard as I could, releasing years of anguish and pain. The sound echoed through the house. I'm sure he saw it coming, but he made no attempt to stop it. His head turned back so he was facing me again.

"You're a baka you know that? _You're _the dobe." I choked out, my throat constricting, "How could you think that we wouldn't go after you? How could we have been a proper home to you if you were sitting in maximum security prison?"

I inwardly sighed of exasperation as my tears dropped, blinking rapidly so that I could speak again and cry later. Uchiha was frozen in his seat and for the first time, openly showing an expression of alarm. I hastily wiped them off. We stared at each other in silence for a while, as my breathing shallowed.

It was all gone. Years of wondering. Years of resenting myself. And in the last hour, someone had untangled the mess. It was the first time that things had made sense in a long while, and I was unsure what to do with the sudden clarity of the situation.

I raised my hand again; he made a slight twitch, obviously not wanting to be hit again. I placed it on his cheek, cooling the stinging warmth that I had left there, and in a rush, wrapped my arms around him.

"Thank you for telling me." I murmured over and over, "I really needed to hear that."

I pulled back a little and looked him in the eyes. He was tense but there was relief in his eyes. There was a disbelief that suddenly, everything was out in the open. I gave him a big watery grin.

"Welcome home Sasuke."

It had been a long time since I had sincerely called him that directly rather than "Uchiha". And he knew it. His eyes softened and his body relaxed.

Before I knew it, his arms tentatively circled my back and returned the gesture. We stayed like that for a while, just taking solace in the ease of the atmosphere, as if a huge weight had been lifted over both of our shoulders.

I officially ruined his shirt by crying a puddle onto it whilst he patted my back awkwardly, but gently.

Through all my hiccupping and sniffling, I felt warm drops of tears drip onto my own back, his own tears, despite their supposed lightness, releasing his many years of burden and regret.

* * *

**~NeXt Up: ChApTeR 16: BrEaK~**

* * *

**Hope it didn't disappoint!**

**I know it was a bit shorter than usual, but I reckoned that it was about time that the air was cleared between the two of them, Cupid must be mortified that his arrows took so long to take effect on both of them :)**

**I MEAN UCHIHA CRYING, THAT'S GOTTA BE NEW. I just thought that it would be a strong moment for him in particular, to let go of everything that he's been holding back for the last couple of years, and for being officially accepted back into the lives of all his comrades - gotta be something big right? :D**

**Agree, Disagree, Like, Don't Like, I'm looking to your reviews as always, regardless of the content :D And also, as always, if you guys have any suggestions, give me a shout :D And I'll try to integrate them into the plot, but,**

**THE STORY**_**WILL**_**BE ENDING IN ABOUT 3, 4 OR 5!****I refuse to drag it out unnecessarily :D**

**UNTIL THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**Ciao!**

**~CaNdY.~**


End file.
